Disaffected Chinese officials are closely watching how Australia deals with defector Wang Liqiang, with others weighing up whether to follow his path, an analyst says.

Questions are swirling about Mr Wang’s account of his life as a Chinese spy, and the federal government’s response to his plea for asylum could influence others who might bring their secrets to Australia, said Australian Strategic Policy Institute researcher Alex Joske.

"He has indirect value to Australia because the way Australia handles this case will be closely watched by others within the Chinese government who may have an interest in defecting," he said.

Security agencies have confirmed they are examining Mr Wang’s background and his request for asylum after The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed his story last weekend in an investigation with 60 Minutes.

Wang Liqiang, who claims to be a Chinese spy, wants to defect to Australia.Credit:Illustration: Mark Stehle, Portrait: Steven Siewert

The investigation revealed Mr Wang had fled to Australia after working as an intelligence operative in Hong Kong and Taiwan, supporting officers loyal to the Chinese Communist Party.

But the reports have triggered a storm of criticism including from Chinese foreign ministry officials who reject the "absurd" claims, while also claiming Mr Wang was convicted of fraud in China before arriving in Australia.

Taiwanese officials acted on the reports to detain businessman Xiang Xin last Sunday on suspicion he was influencing the country’s elections, but a debate is now raging over Mr Wang’s past.

"There is no doubt that Beijing is aggressively expanding its espionage activities overseas as it takes a more assertive stance on the international arena, but it looks increasingly unlikely that Wang was an important cog of that intelligence machine," wrote Wang Xiangwei, a former editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post.

In an assessment for newsletter China Neican, Adam Ni and Yun Jiang said they were "sceptical" of Mr Wang’s claims and credibility.

The first report of Mr Wang’s history described him as a "middleman" and a "cut-out" or "co-optee" for Chinese military intelligence system, rather than an intelligence officer.

"Wang has only ever claimed to be what is known as a cut-out – a trusted individual working as an intermediary or an assistant to an intelligence officer," Mr Joske said.

"But a lot of commentary has asserted he was an intelligence officer and used that to cast doubt on his claims."

Mr Joske said some of the commentary also came from people who were informed on intelligence and security issues in general but did not know of the specific circumstances around Mr Wang.

Liberal MP and former SAS officer Andrew Hastie has called for Mr Wang to be granted asylum, describing him as a "friend of democracy", while Labor senator Kimberley Kitching has also backed the asylum request.

ASIO chief Mike Burgess took the rare step last Sunday of issuing a statement in response to Mr Wang and a separate affair involving an attempt to fund a Melbourne car dealer, Bo Zhao, to run for Parliament.

"Australians can be reassured that ASIO was previously aware of matters that have been reported today, and has been actively investigating them," Mr Burgess said.

Source: Read Full Article