Australia and China trade criticism over ASIO foreign interference claims

China's ambassador to Australia has criticised the domestic spy agency ASIO over a video shown before a national security speech in Canberra last week. The dispute has drawn a sharp response from ASIO, which pointed to foreign interference cases that have ended in convictions in Australian courts. The row centres on allegations of Chinese foreign interference and on a separate joint warning from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.

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Ambassador Xiao Qian said the video, which included news clips about alleged Chinese foreign interference, risked damaging Australia-China relations. In an opinion piece sent to Nine Newspapers, he also attacked a Five Eyes statement warning that Chinese intelligence services were using job platforms such as LinkedIn to try to lure recruits. He described the statement as "slanderous" and said it "failed to find (or fabricate) any substantive evidence".

ASIO responded by rejecting the criticism and pointing to multiple foreign interference cases that have resulted in convictions in Australian courts. The agency's director-general, Mike Burgess, delivered his annual threat assessment at ASIO headquarters in Canberra last week. The ambassador was present for the speech and sat in the second row, according to the supporting report.

The address itself did not mention China, although the pre-speech video included material touching on Chinese foreign interference. The exchange matters because it comes against a wider backdrop of concern among Australia and its intelligence partners about foreign interference and recruitment tactics online. The Five Eyes alliance, which includes Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and New Zealand, has publicly warned about intelligence services using professional networking sites to identify people with access to sensitive information.

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That warning has now become part of a direct diplomatic dispute between Canberra and Beijing's representative in Australia. The video shown before Mr Burgess's speech was not the focus of the address itself, but it formed part of the setting for the annual threat assessment. The audience included defence and national security officials, diplomats, journalists and others.

The report says the video was largely focused on antisemitism, the Bondi terror attack and the return of so-called ISIS brides to Australia, while also touching on Chinese foreign interference. What remains unclear is whether the dispute will stay at the level of public criticism or lead to further diplomatic fallout. The immediate issue is the clash over how Australia's security agencies present foreign interference risks and how China's representatives respond to those warnings.

The next point to watch is whether either side escalates the exchange beyond public statements and opinion pieces.

#Australia #China #ASIO #foreigninterference #FiveEyes

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