Australia has ordered an inquiry into espionage laws and foreign government interference amid growing concerns about Chinese influence in the nation’s politics, reports said yesterday.
The move follows an investigation that discovered the Australian spy agency had warned the nation’s political elite two years ago about taking donations from two billionaires with links to the Chinese Communist Party.
The probe, by the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) and Fairfax Media, said that despite being cautioned, both the Liberals and Labor continued accepting substantial sums of cash.
Their investigation showed that property developers Huang Xiangmo (黃向墨) and Chau Chak Wing (周澤榮), or their associates, had donated about A$6.7 million (US$5 million) to political parties over a decade.
Chau is an Australian citizen, while Huang’s citizenship application has been stalled by Australia’s spy chiefs, ABC said.
The investigation, aired on Monday evening, said intelligence agencies had major concerns that China was interfering in Australian institutions and using the political donations system to gain access.
“Early last month, I asked the attorney-general to review our espionage laws, to review our laws relating to the activities of foreign governments in Australia ... we take it very, very seriously,” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters. “The sovereignty of Australia, the sovereignty of our democratic processes, free from foreign interference is a matter of the highest concern.”
Australian Attorney-General George Brandis said he was examining whether espionage offenses in the criminal code were adequate.
“The threat of political interference by foreign intelligence services is a problem of the highest order and it is getting worse,” Brandis said. “I will be taking legislative reforms to Cabinet with a view to introducing legislation before the end of the year.”
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