DFAT backs ASIO after China ambassador’s denial of espionage claims
Foreign Secretary Penny Wong’s department said it would not tolerate foreign interference and backed spy agency ASIO after China’s top diplomat staunchly denied Beijing was trying to meddle in overseas affairs.
Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian used an opinion piece posted to this imprint this week to accuse ASIO and other western spy agencies of fabricating espionage allegations against China to denigrate the rising superpower.
“China itself has long suffered from foreign interference and has no intention of, and has never attempted, so-called intervention in Australia,” Xiao wrote.
“Looking at China-Australia relations through the lens of the Cold War mentality and using national security as an excuse to portray China as a hypothetical enemy is targeting the wrong side, harming friendship and going against the interests of the Australian nation and people.”
He also accused ASIO and other Five Eyes agencies of “slandering” China and “preparing a sensational accusation out of thin air against another country” by warning that China’s military intelligence services were using professional networking sites to secure classified and sensitive information.
In response to questions about the ambassador’s opinion piece, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “The Chinese ambassador speaks on behalf of the Chinese government and represents its positions.
“The Australian government takes foreign interference seriously and fully supports our security agencies and the work they do to keep Australians safe.”
The spokesman continued: “We will always speak out on issues that matter to Australians, including human rights.
“We have no tolerance for any country attempting foreign intervention in Australia and have a strong framework to deter and respond to this.”
The department did not directly respond to a call from Justin Bassi, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, for Xiao to be called in for a rebuke over the article.
“The ambassador is trying to undermine trust in ASIO and turn Australians against the people whose job it is to keep them safe,” Bassi said.
“This is not a legitimate exercise of Australia’s freedom of expression and the ambassador should be summoned by DFAT or the government.”
ASIO responded to the ambassador’s allegations by pointing out that a Melbourne man was recently convicted of attempting to interfere with Australia’s political system to advance the interests of the Chinese Communist Party, as was a Sydney man who gave Chinese spies information about Australia’s economic, defense and political priorities.
There has been a significant debate in the national security community about why Xiao reacted so strongly to a video released at ASIO headquarters last week of him sitting in the second row.
Allegations of Chinese interference were only briefly mentioned in the video, and ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess did not mention China by name in his annual threat assessment.
The publication of the opinion piece comes as a new ethnicity law comes into force in China on Wednesday, which human rights groups fear will endanger ethnic minority groups abroad in countries such as Australia.
The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Act says China has the right to take legal action against overseas individuals and organizations that undermine its ethnic unity; This leads to accusations that China may encourage foreign intervention and suppress dissent.
Uighur and Tibetan groups in Australia have said they fear China will use the law to target their communities.
DFAT said the government had raised its concerns about the law “directly with China and the UN Human Rights Council”.
“The Australian government is concerned about the human rights implications of China’s Ethnic Unity Act, including its potential to restrict the rights and freedoms of individuals beyond China’s borders,” a spokesman said earlier this week.
“All people in Australia, regardless of their citizenship, are protected by Australian laws and enjoy Australia’s political freedoms.”
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