Australia ‘obsessed with anti-China witch-hunt’
While the residences of four Chinese journalists in June were raided by Australian intelligence agents and the visas of two Chinese nationals were revoked for groundless reasons, Chinese observers on Wednesday slammed their acts of being more of an anti-China witch hunt in line with the delusional “China threat” theory and would backfire if Australia continues on the wrong path of anti-China sentiment.
The residences of four Chinese journalists from three Chinese media outlets – Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group and China News Service in Australia – were raided and they were questioned by officers from the Australian intelligence agency in late June, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
A source close to the matter told the Global Times on Tuesday that during the raids, Chinese journalists were questioned for hours, and their computers and smartphones seized, even being asked to zip their mouths and not report the incident.
“Australia has not given any reasonable explanation and has not returned all the items seized from the journalists,” Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, adding that the agents even seized their children’s tablet computers and electronic toys.
Zhao confirmed that the Chinese journalists involved have returned to China.
Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, said on Wednesday his visa and the visa of Li Jianjun, a professor from Beijing Foreign Studies University were both revoked by Australia on groundless “national security” reasons a month ago.
As a frequent visitor to Australia and a vocal expert on Australia studies, Chen said he was shocked to receive an e-mail notifying that his visa was cancelled on security grounds.
Two Chinese journalists and the two Chinese experts were targeted by Australian intelligence agencies simply because they were in the same WeChat group as Moselmane, and a part-time office staffer of Moselmane, named John Zhang, the Global Times learnt.
Chen said it was “preposterous” that the records of the WeChat group, where they share jokes and funny memes, photos of personal excursions, fishing trips or drinks, and repost newspaper articles, are being regarded as a means of political influence.
Moselmane had spoke openly of China’s achievements in fighting against COVID-19 and he was suspected of being a Chinese “agent of influence.”
Yu Lei, a chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries at Liaocheng University, said on Wednesday that the move was a comprehensive policy designed by Australia to target China, involving tightening censorship of Chinese scholars, journalists and students.
There is a consensus in political and military circles in the US and Australia that if they do not contain China, especially in the Western Pacific, the US would lose its hegemony in the region. Australia considers US hegemony in the Western Pacific as a security guarantee, Yu said.
Double standards
The latest incident targeting Chinese journalists and scholars sheds light on Australia’s hypocrisy and double standards on its so-called freedom of the press, observers said.
The Australian Federal Police and ASIO refused to make any statements in response to inquiries about the raid. Not a single comment was made by the Australian authorities.
When the two Australian journalists were interviewed by Chinese authorities recently for their possible links to a case regarding national security, their residences were not searched, their personal items were not taken away and they had complete freedom of movement. It was their own choice to leave China, and their personal safety was never in any danger.
However, most Australian media outlets made a melodrama out of the incident, concocting Le Carre-style fantasies of a Chinese threat to their personal and press freedoms. However, facts speak louder than words. The way the Chinese law enforcement agency has carried out the process is in sharp contrast with the Australian agencies, Chen noted.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao had said on Tuesday that the relevant departments in China, during their investigation of a case, questioned the two journalists in accordance with law. He noted that these were normal law enforcement activities. During the entire process, Chinese departments conducted themselves in strict accordance with regulations.