Australia probes ‘Chinese plot’ to install spy lawmaker

Canberra, November 25

The Australian intelligence agencies are looking into allegations regarding a plot aimed at planting a Chinese spy in the nation’s parliament, officials have confirmed.

The allegations — first aired by local network Nine — asserted that a suspected Chinese espionage ring approached a Chinese-Australian man to make him run as an MP, a BBC report said.

“Australians can be reassured that Asio was previously aware of matters that have been reported today, and has been actively investigating them,” Asio director-general Mike Burgess said in a statement. He added, “Hostile foreign intelligence activity continues to pose a real threat to our nation and its security.”

The Australian government has said it is taking the allegations seriously, following a rare public statement from the nation’s domestic spy agency. China is yet to respond to the claims.

On Sunday, Nine’s 60 minutes programme reported that suspected Chinese agents approached a luxury car dealer, Nick Zhao, ahead of Australia’s general election which took place in May. They allegedly offered him $680,000 to fund his run for a Melbourne seat as a candidate for the ruling Liberal Party of which Zhao was already a member. Zhao gave information about the alleged approach to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) in 2018, Nine reported. “I am in Australia, but I feel censored by Chinese students,” he said before being found dead in a hotel room in Melbourne in March. It was his death that prompted the inquiry. — IANS