China wants to 'take over' Australian politics: Ex-spy chiefDuncan Lewis resigned in September after five years at the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. SYDNEY: China is seeking to "take over" Australia's political system with an "insidious" and systematic campaign of espionage and influence-peddling, Canberra's ex-spymaster said in an interview published Friday. Duncan Lewis, who resigned in September after five years at the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said China could target anyone in political office, with the impact potentially not known for years to come. Lewis singled out incidents of Chinese agents making large contributions to Australian political parties as part of a wide-ranging influence-peddling campaign that also targeted media and the country's universities. And a group of Australian universities last week announced measures to combat foreign interference in key areas of research collaboration, cybersecurity, and international partnerships -- a move seen as targeting China.

Source: Bangkok Post November 22, 2019 01:48 UTC