US EditionAustralian Police Charge Chinese National with 'Foreign Interference'
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, AUG 4 – The woman allegedly gathered intelligence on a banned Buddhist group for China’s Public Security Bureau, marking the AFP’s first charge involving community targeting under new foreign interference laws.
- On August 4, 2025, Australian Federal Police charged a Chinese national in Sydney with reckless foreign interference for spying on a Canberra Buddhist group.
- The charge follows a March investigation initiated by an ASIO tip-off and relates to covert information gathering for China’s Public Security Bureau.
- Police executed multiple search warrants in Canberra seizing electronic devices, and allege the woman acted covertly since 2022, targeting Guan Yin Citta.
- Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt described the case as posing risks to democratic integrity, community unity, and national sovereignty, and highlighted that the offence can result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
- Authorities plan more arrests while urging public vigilance and reporting suspicious activity to defend against ongoing foreign interference attempts.
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60 Articles
Alleged to be monitoring Buddhist group for China, Chinese woman arrested in Australia on foreign interference charge
SYDNEY, Aug 4 — A Chinese woman appeared in court in Australia’s capital Canberra today after police charged her with “reckless foreign interference” for allegedly monitoring a Buddhist group in the city on behalf of a Chinese security agency.It is the third time charges have been brought under foreign interference laws introduced in Australia in 2018, and the first time a Chinese national has been charged under the legislation.The woman, who is…
Chinese woman becomes third person charged under Australia’s foreign
MELBOURNE: A Chinese citizen was charged Monday under Australia’s recent foreign interference laws with covertly collecting information about an Australian Buddhist association, police said. The woman, an Australian permanent resident based in the capital Canberra, is only the third person charged since the laws were passed in 2018 and the first to be accused of interferring
Chinese woman becomes third person charged under Australia’s foreign interference laws
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A Chinese citizen was charged Monday under Australia’s recent foreign interference laws with covertly collecting information about an Australian Buddhist association, police said.
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