‘Irrational’: China’s top spy agency attacks ASIO over espionage ‘threat’
Beijing’s top spy agency has accused Australian intelligence agencies of fabricating a “Chinese espionage threat” while conducting their own operations against China, in a blast that comes less than two weeks after the arrest of a Chinese national on foreign interference charges.
In a statement released on its official WeChat account, China’s Ministry of State Security appears to seize on a recent speech by ASIO director-general Mike Burgess in which he said “nation states are spying at unprecedented levels, with unprecedented sophistication”.
Burgess singled out China, Russia and Iran as three of the main sources of espionage activity, though he said many countries were trying to steal Australia’s secrets, in remarks delivered as part of the Hawke Oration in Adelaide on July 31.
ASIO boss Mike Burgess.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
China’s spy agency said the speech exposed Australia’s anxiety about its security, and it accused ASIO and other agencies of being “irrational and unprofessional”.
“Australian intelligence agencies advocated the ‘serious threat’ posed by foreign espionage activities to Australia, and even packaged themselves as innocent ‘victims’ in groundless accusations of ‘Chinese espionage threat’,” the Chinese ministry’s statement says.
“In recent years, China’s state security organs have successively cracked a number of espionage cases against China instigated by Australian intelligence agencies in accordance with the law, effectively safeguarding China’s sovereignty, security and development interests.”
The Chinese ministry said the actions were undermining recent efforts by Australia and China to stabilise the bilateral relationship.
As previously revealed by this masthead, Burgess made a trip to China in mid-2023, where he met State Security Minister Chen Yixin in what political sources said was an effort to open up channels of backdoor communication. Burgess has not confirmed the trip.
The Chinese statement did not directly refer to the arrest earlier this month in Canberra of a Chinese woman who was charged with reckless foreign interference. The woman is accused of allegedly spying on the Canberra branch of the Guan Yin Citta, a Buddhist association, on behalf of China’s Public Security Bureau.
Commenting on the arrest at the time, Burgess said in a statement the woman’s alleged foreign interference was an “appalling assault” on Australian values and sovereignty.
It is the third time an individual has been charged with foreign interference offences since the Commonwealth introduced the laws in 2018. China condemned the laws at the time and cited them as one of its 14 major grievances with the Australian government.
A Victorian man and NSW man were charged in 2020 and 2023 respectively in cases that involved allegations of Chinese foreign interference.
Australia is not alone in calling out China’s espionage efforts. In 2023, Burgess and the chiefs of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which comprises the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, condemned China for what they said was the most sophisticated program of intellectual property theft in history.
It marked a departure from ASIO’s long-held practice of not explicitly naming China or other countries when publicly discussing espionage threats.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and ASIO have been contacted for comment.