Beijing says Australia searched Chinese journalists’ houses, seized items

China’s Foreign Ministry says Australian intelligence agents searched the houses of Chinese journalists and confiscated items from them without explanation.

Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that the houses of four Chinese journalists, including reporters affiliated with state news agency Xinhua and the China News Service, had been raided and they had been interrogated.

He said Canberra refused to offer a reason for the conduct or return the seized items.

Xinhua had said in a report earlier on Tuesday that the raids on the houses of an unknown number of Chinese journalists by Australian intelligence agents took place on June 26, and the media workers were ordered to “be silent” about the incident.

“In a country with so-called ‘rule of law,’ there is no justification and no conclusive evidence to search homes and seize personal belongings, which is completely committing “white terror” against the personnel of Chinese institutions and friends of China,” Xinhua said.

Asked by Reuters to confirm the raids, the Chinese Embassy in Canberra said in an emailed statement to the agency that it had “provided consular support to Chinese journalists in Australia and made representations with relevant Australian authorities to safeguard legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.”

The Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), however, declined to confirm or deny the raids to Reuters.

China: Australian journalist detained on national security grounds

China says the Australian journalist who was detained last month is suspected of endangering national security.

Xinhua also criticized a raid on the same day by Australian intelligence agents on the house and office of a local Muslim politician from New South Wales State, identified as Shaoquett Moselmane of the Labor Party, who has been critical of the ruling Conservative Party.

The report said that Moselmane had been targeted for his praise of China’s achievements in battling the coronavirus epidemic and his criticism of Australia’s anti-China policies.

The Australian Federal Police, which conducted the raids against Moselmane and his employee John Zhang on June 26, confirmed to Reuters that “there is an ongoing investigation relating to the Moselmane search warrant.”

But the federal police declined to comment about the raids on the houses of the Chinese journalists.

Zhang, according to Australian High Court documents cited by Reuters, remains under scrutiny as part of a foreign interference investigation into whether he was working to advance “Chinese state interests.”

Earlier on Tuesday, two Australian correspondents were flown out of China after being questioned by Chinese state security officials. Another Australian journalist has been detained in China on national security grounds.

Bilateral relations between China and Australia deteriorated after Canberra joined the United States in insinuating that the new coronavirus was artificially made at a Chinese lab.

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