China accused Australia yesterday of brutal harassment of journalists as it emerged that the Australian authorities had targeted several Chinese journalists and academics over an alleged attempt by Beijing to influence a New South Wales MP, Mr Shaoquett Moselmane.
ABC News reported that the figures targeted in June were members of a WeChat group which was suspected of being used to "encourage Mr Moselmane to advocate for the Chinese government's interests".
Two of the Chinese journalists targeted were identified by ABC News as the Australia bureau chief of China News Service, Ms Tao Shelan, and China Radio International's Sydney bureau chief, Mr Li Dayong.
Chinese media said two other Chinese journalists were also targeted.
In addition, it emerged that two China scholars who were members of the WeChat group had their visas revoked. The scholars were named as Australian Studies professor Chen Hong, from East China Normal University in Shanghai, and Mr Li Jianjun, director of the Australian Studies Centre at Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Prof Chen said yesterday he was advised that his visa had been cancelled because he had been deemed a threat to national security by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the country's domestic spy agency.
He denied the claim. "I absolutely refuse to accept this assessment, and believe a gross mistake has been made regarding my relationship with Australia," he told ABC News.
"The group was a most ordinary social network platform on which members used to share jokes and funny memes... The allegation that the group had been purported as a means of influence is simply preposterous."
Reports of the raids by the Australian authorities on the homes of Chinese journalists first appeared in Chinese media outlets yesterday, as tensions between the two nations continued to mount.
Canberra expressed disappointment this week at the treatment of two Australian journalists who were forced to hurriedly leave China after being accused by the Chinese authorities of being involved in a national security case.
For the first time since 1973, the Australian media has no journalists in China, its largest trading partner.
Beijing now appears to be indicating that the treatment of the two Australian journalists was a retaliation for the treatment of Chinese reporters in Australia.
The Australian investigation allegedly involved concerns that the Chinese Communist Party had infiltrated the MP's office.
Mr Moselmane and a part-time staff member of his office, Mr John Zhang, an Australian citizen who moved from China in 1989, have denied any wrongdoing.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian yesterday accused Australia of "using any excuses to harass and suppress Chinese personnel in Australia".
"We demand that Australia immediately stop these brutal and unreasonable acts," he told reporters.
The recent investigation of the two Australian journalists in China - one from ABC and the other from The Australian Financial Review - is believed to be related to the detention last month of Chinese-born Australian journalist Cheng Lei, a presenter for China Global Television Network. Beijing has not provided the reasons for Ms Lei's detention.
