San Francisco Frontiers - Australia charges two Chinese nationals with foreign interference

The pair -- a 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman -- have each been charged with one count of "reckless foreign interference", which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment.

When the two appear in court on Wednesday, police will allege they worked with a Chinese national charged last August for covertly gathering information on the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist group in Australia's capital, Canberra.

They are alleged to have worked under the command of China's Public Security Bureau, the country's main domestic law enforcement body.

China's embassy in Canberra did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

Australia's federal police said they began investigating the case last year on a tip from Canberra's spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

Agency chief Mike Burgess said a "complex, challenging and changing security environment is becoming more dynamic, diverse and degraded".

"Multiple foreign regimes are monitoring, harassing and intimidating members of our diaspora communities," he said.

"This sort of behaviour is utterly unacceptable and cannot be tolerated."

- Targeting the diaspora -

China's sprawling security apparatus has long been accused of infiltrating community organisations as a way to keep tabs on expats and dissidents.

"Australia is not immune to foreign interference, and we should not expect this arrest will prevent further attempts to target our diaspora communities," police counter terrorism and special investigations assistant commissioner Stephen Nutt said.

"Members of our culturally and linguistically diverse communities are more likely to be victims of foreign interference or transnational repression than to be offenders," he added.

Guan Yin Citta describes its goals as encouraging "people to recite Buddhist scriptures, practise life liberation and make great vows to help more people".

Led by the late Lu Jun Hong, known to followers as Master Lu, it claims to have millions of devotees worldwide.

Beijing considers the group to be a "cult".

Relations between Beijing and Canberra have charted a bumpy course over the past decade, a period marked by repeated disagreements over national security and competing interests across the vast Pacific region.

Ties improved in 2024, when China called off a ban on imported Australian rock lobster, removing the final obstacle to ending a damaging trade war waged between the countries from 2017.

China is one of Australia's most important economic partners, accounting for nearly one-third of its total trade.

N.Wilson--SFF