A self-proclaimed Chinese spy who turned himself over to the Australian authorities has disclosed that Beijing is trying to influence the politics in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.
William Wang Liqiang, whom China has accused to be a fraudster and a criminal suspect, in a statement to Australia's security intelligence orgsation ASIO, also disclosed the identities of senior Chinese military intelligence officers in Hong Kong as well as details of how his espionage work was funded and conducted there, as well as in Taiwan and Australia, South China Morning Post reported.
However refuting his claims, the Shanghai Police, in a statement issued on late Saturday, said that Wang - described as a 26-year-old unemployed worker from Nanping in the eastern province of Fujian - was given a suspended sentence of one year and six months in October 2016 for fraud by the Guangze county court in Fujian.
"On April 19, 2019, the Shanghai police opened an investigation into Wang who allegedly cheated 4.6 million yuan [$653,482] from a person surnamed Shu through a fake investment project involving car import in February," the statement said.
Wang had left for Hong Kong on April 10, carrying a fake Chinese passport and a fake Hong Kong permanent residence ID, the police said.
But the spy, on Sunday, denied the claims made by the Shanghai police, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
He said that he had expected the Chinese authorities to try to discredit him but that he stood by the sworn statement he had given to the Australian government about his spy activities, knowing the consequences of making a false statement would be serious, the report said.
Wang further confessed to also have been a part of infiltration operations to meddle in the elections in Taiwan last year and early next year.
Wang is now seeking asylum in Australia and said he fears he will be executed if he returns to China. Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Saturday that the nation's law enforcement agency was handling Wang's case and his accusations were "very disturbing".
The Chinese media has accused Australian media reports of being short of evidence and facts and charged that Wang's story was "a sheer lie" intended to smear Beijing.
( With inputs from ANI )