A Melbourne businessman has become the first person found guilty of preparing or planning an act of foreign interference under recent federal laws, over a $37,000 hospital donation. Di Sanh Duong, 68, faced a month-long jury trial in Melbourne’s county court after being the first person charged under the laws, created in 2018, which ban covert foreign interference in domestic politics. Prosecutors argued at the trial that Duong planned to gain political influence with the former federal education minister Alan Tudge, on behalf of the Chinese Communist party (CCP). He…
Tag: Espionage
Canada-China detention feud reopened after claims of ‘unwitting’ espionage
A simmering diplomatic feud prompted by China’s detention of two Canadian citizens has been reopened after one of the men claimed he was arrested for unknowingly passing on intelligence to Canada and its allies. The Globe and Mail reported Michael Spavor is seeking a multi-million dollar settlement from Canada’s federal government, alleging he “unwittingly” provided intelligence on North Korea to fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig, who then shared that information with Canada and Five Eyes allies. The two men were arrested in 2018 shortly after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was detained…
Visiting professor used PhD students to gather intelligence for China, Asio boss alleges
The spy agency Asio says it has disrupted a plot by China’s intelligence services to “infiltrate a prestigious Australian research institution” with officials forcing an academic to leave the country before any harm was done. The Asio chief, Mike Burgess, provided broad details of the alleged plot while also accusing China of engaging in “the most sustained, scaled and sophisticated theft of intellectual property and expertise in human history”. “It is unprecedented and unacceptable,” Burgess said during a press conference in California on Wednesday alongside counterparts from the US, the…
20,000 Britons approached by Chinese agents on LinkedIn, says MI5 head
An estimated 20,000 Britons have been approached by Chinese state actors on LinkedIn in the hope of stealing industrial or technological secrets, the head of MI5 has said. Ken McCallum said industrial espionage was happening at “real scale”, and he estimated that 10,000 UK businesses were at risk, particularly in artificial intelligence, quantum computing or synthetic biology where China was trying to gain a march. “Week by week, our teams detect massive amounts of covert activity by the likes of China in particular, but also Russia and Iran,” the MI5…
US charges ex-intelligence officer with trying to give defence secrets to China
A former US army intelligence officer has been charged with attempting to provide classified defence information to the Chinese security services during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic – including some listed in a Microsoft Word document titled “Important Information to Share with Chinese Government”. Authorities on Friday arrested former sergeant Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, at San Francisco international airport as he arrived from Hong Kong, where he had been living since March 2020, the Justice Department said. A federal grand jury in Seattle returned an indictment on Wednesday charging…
Belgian intelligence investigating logistics hub of China’s Alibaba at local airport
Belgian officials are looking into risks around the presence of China’s Alibaba Group Holding at a cargo airport in the city of Liège, the country’s state security service (VSSE) said in a statement on Thursday. Referring to the company’s main European logistics centre at Liège Airport, the security service said it was working to “detect and fight against possible spying and/or interference activities carried out by Chinese entities including Alibaba”. Belgian authorities are looking into Alibaba’s operations at the airport based on an analysis of China’s legal framework, the statement…
Weekend podcast: Grace Dent on the love of cheese, Marina Hyde on dull spy ‘scandals’, and a male escort on what women want
Marina Hyde ponders a government so tedious, even the ‘shocking’ revelation of an alleged spy can’t sex things up (1m20s); Grace Dent delves into ‘the great social leveller’, cheese, and what our love for this foodstuff says about us (8m8s); and a male escort reveals what women want when they pay for sex (34m56s). How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
Rishi Sunak considers banning Chinese officials from half of AI summit
Rishi Sunak is considering banning Chinese officials from half of his artificial intelligence safety summit in November, amid growing concern over widespread spying by Beijing on western governments. Downing Street has already invited China to attend the summit, which will be held in early November at Bletchley Park and is set to shape the international community’s approach to AI for years to come. The invitation has attracted some criticism in the wake of recent revelations that a parliamentary researcher was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of spying for China.…
Spies, China and dangerous dogs – Politics Weekly UK
The government has been rocked by allegations of a Chinese spy working in the heart of Westminster. The Guardian’s John Harris speaks to political editor Pippa Crerar and defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh about what this reveals about both our relationship with China, and factions within the Conservative party How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
Tory party ‘acted swiftly’ to block would-be MPs after MI5 warnings
The Conservative party “acted swiftly” to block two potential parliamentary candidates from standing, after warnings from MI5 that they could be spying for China, a government minister has said. The health minister Maria Caulfield was speaking after it was revealed that the Tories dropped two potential candidates to become MPs after MI5 warned they had links to China’s United Front Work Department, a body charged with influencing global policy and opinion. The Times reported that concerns were raised over the pair separately in 2021 and 2022. They were subsequently blocked…