Taipei [Taiwan], August 8 : A Chinese citizen and Australian permanent resident based in Canberra was charged on Monday under Australia's foreign interference laws for covertly collecting information about an Australian Buddhist association, police said, according to the Taipei Times.
The woman, whose identity is withheld by court order, was charged in a Canberra court with secretly gathering intelligence on the local branch of the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist association, which is banned in China. Authorities allege she acted on behalf of China's Public Security Bureau, the Taipei Times reported.
"We allege the activity was to support intelligence objectives of China's Public Security Bureau," Australian Federal Police (AFP) Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt told reporters. He added that this is the first time the AFP has charged someone with foreign interference targeting members of the general Australian community rather than government officials or politicians, as cited by the Taipei Times.
"Foreign interference is a serious crime that undermines democracy and social cohesion. It involves covert, deceptive conduct or threats of serious harm carried out by or on behalf of a foreign principal," Nutt explained, according to the Taipei Times.
The woman was arrested at her home on Saturday and remanded in custody. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison, the Taipei Times said.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by stating it was not aware of the case details but denied interfering in other countries' internal affairs. It added that China would monitor the situation closely and protect its citizens' rights, as reported by the Taipei Times.
This marks only the third charge laid under Australia's foreign interference laws passed in 2018 and the first involving a foreign national targeting the general public. Previous cases include Vietnam-born Melbourne businessman Di Sanh Duong, sentenced last year for attempting to influence a federal minister on China's behalf, and Sydney businessman Alexander Csergo, charged with accepting payments from suspected Chinese spies, the Taipei Times noted.
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess praised the agency's role in the arrest. "Foreign interference of this kind is an appalling assault on Australian values, freedoms and sovereignty," he said, as cited by the Taipei Times.
The charge comes amid Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's recent efforts to mend frayed ties with China. Albanese visited Beijing last month and met Chinese President Xi Jinping for the fourth time since his election in 2022, according to the Taipei Times.
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