Australia charges two Chinese nationals with foreign interferenceA general view of the Chinese embassy building in Canberra. CANBERRA - Australian police said on Wednesday they have charged two Chinese nationals with foreign interference, accusing them of spying on a Buddhist group at the behest of police in China. 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. "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.

Source: Bangkok Post February 11, 2026 10:20 UTC