Australia’s top domestic spy chief Mike Burgess has used a speech to give his most detailed account yet of the scale of the threat of foreign interference.<\/p>\n
Mr Burgess said his organisation was “seeing more Australians targeted \u2014 more aggressively \u2014 than ever before” by other countries.<\/p>\n
“This fabrication and hype over a so-called ‘Chinese espionage threat’ reflect that certain forces in Australia are unwilling to see China-Australia relations develop in a healthy and stable manner, and instead seek to stir up trouble out of nothing,” the ministry said.<\/p>\n
“Such malicious speculation based on self-projection, and unfounded persecution fantasies \u2026 expose Australia’s ‘over-anxiety’ about its own security.”<\/p>\n
The statement also said that China’s security agencies had “lawfully uncovered multiple espionage cases orchestrated by Australian intelligence services” \u2014 moves which it said had protected its sovereignty and security interests.<\/p>\n
It provided no further details about the incidents.<\/p>\n
Australia ‘irrational and unprofessional’ on spy issue<\/p>\n
Beijing has long suspected Australia of collecting intelligence on behalf of other countries, including the United States, as part of the Five Eyes agreement with Canada, New Zealand and the UK.<\/p>\n
“When Australia’s intelligence agencies played up claims that foreign espionage poses a ‘serious threat’ to Australia \u2014 and even baselessly accused China of espionage to portray themselves as innocent ‘victims’ \u2014 they offered nothing but unfounded assumptions and sensational conjecture, without any facts or evidence,” it said.<\/p>\n
“Whether this performance was a case of doing someone else’s bidding, or simply a forced essay on a given theme, it has come across as irrational and unprofessional.”<\/p>\n
The ministry made a point of noting the “joint efforts” that both countries had undertaken to rebuild the relationship from a “low point”.<\/p>\n
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Anthony Albanese visited China and met Xi Jinping in July. (China Daily via Reuters)<\/p>\n
However it added that some Australian leaders’ “China-fear” and “China exclusion” continued “counter to the right direction charted by the two countries’ leaders”.<\/p>\n
“As China and Australia embark on the second decade of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, both sides should continue to deepen strategic mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, foster people-to-people friendship, and jointly address risks and challenges,” the statement concluded.<\/p>\n