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DEFECTORS REVEAL CHINESE SPIES IN AUSTRALIA A Chinese embassy official in Australia has recently requested asylum in that country and has claimed that there are as many as 1000 Chinese spies in Australia. The Chinese official also complained that his request for asylum was not immediately accepted by Australian officials because of their fear of upsetting Australia's economic relations with China. The Chinese defector said that, rather than accept his request for asylum and provide him protection, Australian officials instead contacted the Chinese embassy in Australia. The defector's claim about the number of Chinese spies in Australia was quickly confirmed by another Chinese defector, who had worked in China with the office responsible for monitoring the activities of Falun Gong in China and internationally. This Chinese defector, who had come to Australia on a tourist visa and was requesting asylum, said that he could easily believe that there were as many as 1000 Chinese spies in Australia. This information was further confirmed by another Chinese defector, an academic who had been in Australia for a year and who had not yet received asylum. This defector also said he believed there were many Chinese spies in Australia and that Australia was reluctant to offend China by granting him or any other Chinese with political asylum. The situation of the first Chinese defector came to the attention of the Australian press and public only because he told his story at an event to commemorate the June 4 1989 Tiananmen massacre. The situation of the other Chinese defectors was revealed because of the publicity surrounding the first one. Many Australians were surprised to find that several Chinese officials had requested asylum in Australia and were being denied. They were also surprised to learn that the possible reason for the denials was Australian fear of damage to its relations with China. However, they were most surprised by the allegation that there were as many as 1000 Chinese spies in Australia. Australia has recently established profitable economic relations with China, mostly in providing raw materials such as coal, iron ore and natural gas. Many Australians would be reluctant to damage those relations. However, Australia also has a strong human rights tradition. Therefore, the situation of the Chinese defectors aroused considerable sympathy. In addition, since Australia has a democratic system with more than one political party, the cause of the Chinese defectors was championed by opposition politicians. The ruling political party was accused of trying to cover up the case of the Chinese defectors in order to maintain good relations with China. They were also accused of endangering Australia's security by allowing Chinese spies to operate in Australia. The Chinese defector revealed that most Chinese spies in Australia were not officials of the Chinese Government or the Chinese embassy in Australia but were Chinese living or studying in Australia, doing business there or traveling as tourists. Their main interest was in monitoring the activities of Falun Gong practitioners or separatist groups such as Taiwanese or Tibetans. The Chinese spies also attempt to steal commercial and industrial secrets. What was most disturbing was that they monitored the activities not only of Chinese citizens in Australia but also of Chinese who had taken Australian citizenship as well as native Australians. This information was confirmed by the Chinese official who had worked with the anti-Falun Gong organization in China, named the 6-10 organization after the date, June 10 1999, that the Chinese Government had named Falun Gong as an evil cult. All these officials confirmed that Tibetan activists in Australia were also monitored. The Chinese scholar who had been requesting asylum for over a year had defected because he had written a book about the Chinese Government's persecution of minorities, including Mongolians and Tibetans. The defectors said that Chinese embassy officials and spies in Australia were attempting to influence Australian politics and to make Australia betray its principles of freedom and democracy. The defector from the Chinese embassy in Australia also said that the human rights dialogue between Australia and China was a sham and that Australia was putting no pressure on China to improve its human rights record. The Chinese Embassy in Australia denied that any of the defector's claims were true. However, the publicity surrounding this case has forced the Australian Government to take the asylum requests seriously. It has also had to take seriously the claim that there are many Chinese spies operating in Australia. The Chinese defectors also said that China had numerous spies in other countries. As in Australia they were intended to monitor Falun Gong and Tibetan activists and to engage in commercial and industrial espionage. This information led other countries, such as Canada, to call for more scrutiny of Chinese spies in their countries. The exposure of the Chinese defectors in Australia reveals several characteristics about China's political system as well as its relations with other countries. Firstly, China is a dictatorship of one political party that tolerates no rivals, even a spiritual movement such as Falun Gong. Secondly, China has a network of spies worldwide that attempts to monitor the activities of all whom the Chinese Government considers its enemies. These spies also attempt to steal military and industrial secrets since China's technological development is still largely dependent upon copying the technology of other countries. China will also obviously use its economic relations and its diplomacy in order to influence other countries. For Australians, who thought their relations with China were entirely beneficial, these revelations have exposed the real nature of China and their own vulnerability to China's influence. Other countries have also realized that China is conducting activities to gather intelligence and influence politics in their countries. The revelations of Chinese activities in Australia have embarrassed China and exposed the real nature of its political system and its international economic and political relations. 06/24/05