The Chinese statement did not directly refer to the arrest earlier this month in Canberra of a Chinese woman who was charged with reckless foreign interference. The woman is accused of allegedly spying on the Canberra branch of the Guan Yin Citta, a Buddhist association, on behalf of China’s Public Security Bureau.
Commenting on the arrest at the time, Burgess said in a statement the woman’s alleged foreign interference was an “appalling assault” on Australian values and sovereignty.
It is the third time an individual has been charged with foreign interference offences since the Commonwealth introduced the laws in 2018. China condemned the laws at the time and cited them as one of its 14 major grievances with the Australian government.
A Victorian man and NSW man were charged in 2020 and 2023 respectively in cases that involved allegations of Chinese foreign interference.
Australia is not alone in calling out China’s espionage efforts. In 2023, Burgess and the chiefs of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which comprises the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, condemned China for what they said was the most sophisticated program of intellectual property theft in history.
It marked a departure from ASIO’s long-held practice of not explicitly naming China or other countries when publicly discussing espionage threats.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and ASIO have been contacted for comment.
‘Irrational’: China’s top spy agency attacks ASIO over espionage ‘threat’
