Chinese woman becomes third person charged under Australia’s foreign interference laws

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A Chinese citizen was charged Monday under Australia’s recent foreign interference laws with covertly collecting information about an Australian Buddhist association, police said.

The woman, an Australian permanent resident based in the capital Canberra, is only the third person charged since the laws were passed in 2018 and the first to be accused of interfering with the general population, Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt police said.

She was charged in a Canberra court with covertly gathering information about a local branch of the Buddhist association Guan Yin Citta on behalf of the Public Security Bureau of China.

The association is banned in China. Police have not detailed her alleged objectives.

“We allege the activity was to support intelligence objectives of the China’s Public Security Bureau. This is the first time the AFP has charged a person with foreign interference that allegedly involves targeting members of the Australian community,” Nutt told reporters.

“Foreign interference is a serious crime that undermines democracy and social cohesion. It is a crime carried out by or on behalf of a foreign principal that involves covert and deceptive conduct or threats of serious harm or menacing demands,” Nutt added.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it was not aware of the specifics of the case, but that “we never interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.” It added that China will closely monitor the case and protect the rights and interests of its citizens.

The woman, who was arrested at her home Saturday, cannot be named publicly due to a court order. She was remanded in custody and faces a maximum 15 years in prison if convicted.

She is the first foreign national to be charged under the sweeping laws that created a rift between Australia and China when they were first announced in 2017.

Vietnam-born Melbourne businessman and local community leader Di Sanh Duong was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison last year over an attempt to influence a former federal government minister on behalf of China.

Sydney businessman Alexander Csergo also was charged with foreign interference for allegedly accepting payments for information from two suspected Chinese spies. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, said the nation’s main domestic spy agency had made a signficant contribution to the latest arrest.

“Foreign interference of the kind alleged is an appalling assault on Australian values, freedoms and sovereignty,” Burgess said in a statement.

The charge comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mends bilateral relations with China that plumbed new lows under the previous Australian administration over issues including foreign interference laws.

Albanese traveled to Beijing last month to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the fourth time since the Australian leader was first elected in 2022.

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Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed.