Australia accused of spying on China embassy
China’s the Global Times has published accusations that Australia is spying on the Chinese embassy in Australia and trying to encourage Chinese citizens to defect, The Australian reported.
According to the source, the state-controlled The Global Times, known for its exaggerated reporting style, reported that Chinese national security personnel said that Australia was active in collecting intelligence on China.
“As important member of western intelligence alliance Five Eyes, Australia has always been active in intelligence collection, and China is its major target,” the article published today states. The report suggested that Australia attempts to get Chinese citizens to “defect” to Australia.
The article suggested that Australia conducted surveillance of the Chinese embassy in Australia and that intelligence agencies attempted to develop agents to send over to China.
Australian National University Professor and intelligence and international relations expert John Blaxland said the claims would raise diplomatic tensions.
“A generalised accusation of espionage, without a specific case to present as evidence, and a level of obfuscation and denial of claims made in Australian media suggests this is not much more than a shot across the Australian diplomatic bow,” he told The Australian.