An Australian spy chief triggers a debate about China
Its intelligence agencies are concerned about complacency
Last month Mike Burgess, Australia’s chief domestic spook, sent shockwaves through Canberra when he declared that a former Australian politician had been recruited by a foreign spy ring and “sold out their country”. The ring was later revealed to be Chinese. The politician remains unnamed. The claim triggered fierce speculation, and a debate about whether Mr Burgess was stoking paranoia. Australian intelligence agencies “will do anything to destabilise any meaningful rapprochement” with China, said Paul Keating, a former Labor prime minister, on March 5th.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Spooked”
From the March 16th 2024 edition
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