2019 Australian Parliament infiltration plot
In late 2019, various media outlets have reported on alleged efforts by the People's Republic of China to infiltrate the Parliament of Australia by recruiting a spy to run in a constituency during an election.[1][2][3]
Plot
The alleged plot was made public during the November 24 airing of 60 Minutes on Australia's Nine Network, citing sources with knowledge of the plot.[4] It was suggested that Chinese spies offered $1 million to fund a man's campaign for the Division of Chisholm.[3][4]
The target of the plot was 32-year-old luxury car dealer named Bo "Nick" Zhao, who was a member of the ruling Liberal Party at the time the agent approached him.[1] Some media reports have identified the person who approached Zhao as Melbourne businessperson Brian Chen Chunsheng.[5][6] Chen himself has denied the allegations.[6]
In 2018, Zhao reported the encounter to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).[1][7] In March 2019, Zhao was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room. Authorities have not been able to establish the cause of Zhao's death, nor have they been able to establish why Zhao died.[1] The death has prompted a coroner's inquiry into the incident.[1]
While the cases are unrelated, reports on this incident came after claims by defected Chinese spy Wang Liqiang of Chinese operations in Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.[1]
As for the election, Gladys Liu was eventually elected as the Liberal Party MP for the Chisholm division in the 2019 Federal election. Liu has faced allegations of having links with the Communist Party of China,[8] and reports on this incident has brought renewed attention to allegations against Liu.[9]
Reactions
Australia
ASIO's Director-General, Mike Burgess, refused to comment on the matter in depth due to "long-standing practice", but did say the agency was previously aware of the incident, and there is an active investigation underway.[1]
Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the allegations as "deeply disturbing and troubling".[4]
Sources familiar with Zhao's activities have categorised him as a low-profile member of a local branch of the Victoria Liberal Party.[10] They say Zhao attended at least one branch gathering with members of his immediate family before the 2016 Federal election, but did not otherwise agitate to become an MP himself.[10] They say Zhao stopped attending party events in 2016 amidst personal problems.[10]
A senior Liberal Party member with knowledge of membership lists said Zhao was not known to senior party members, by any measure.[10]
People's Republic of China
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Geng Shuang have decried the accusations as "nothing but lies", and accused Australia of "a state of hysteria and extreme nervousness".[11]
Impact
Monash University lecturer Sow Keat Tok said while the repercussions would have been huge if the allegations are true and Zhao was elected, it would still have taken Zhao years, if not decades, to get into the inner circle of the Australian decision-makers.[12]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Australia investigates alleged Chinese plot to install spy MP". BBC News. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "ASIO investigating reports of Chinese plot to install agent in Parliament". ABC News. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ a b Torre, Giovanni (25 November 2019). "Australia investigates 'China plot to plant spy in Parliament' as Scott Morrison insists 'not naive' to threat". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "China spy claims 'deeply disturbing', PM says". Nine News. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ Boyd, Alan (24 November 2019). "Chinese spying allegations rock and roil Australia". Asia Times. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ a b McKenzie, Nick; Sakkal, Paul; Tobin, Grace (24 November 2019). "China tried to plant its candidate in Federal Parliament, authorities believe". The Age. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ McKenzie, Nick; Sakkal, Paul; Tobin, Grace (24 November 2019). "China tried to plant its candidate in Federal Parliament, authorities believe". The Age. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Gladys Liu: The row over a trailblazing Chinese-Australian MP". BBC News. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ Burke, Kelly (24 November 2019). "Chinese spy scandal puts spotlight back on Liberals' Gladys Liu". Seven News. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d Ferguson, John; Schliebs, Mark (25 November 2019). "'Beijing agent' Bo "Nick" Zhao was low-profile Lib, party says". The Australian. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "'Nothing but lies': China accuses Australia of 'state of hysteria and extreme nervousness'". ABC News. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ Butler, Gavin (25 November 2019). "What We Know About the Liberal Party Member Who Was Allegedly Bribed and Murdered by China". Vice News. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
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