Beijing's army of spies casts wide net

The Weekend Australian ^ | 28th March 2009 | Greg Sheridan

[naturalman1975]

NO nation makes a greater espionage effort directed at Australian military and commercial technology than does China.

It was because of China's massively increased espionage activities in recent years that in 2004 the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation set up a new counter-espionage unit.

But the problems China poses for a country such as Australia in the security and espionage field extend far beyond what might be regarded as traditional espionage.

Beijing has the most unified and co-ordinated sense of national power of any big nation on Earth. Modern China is not a democracy, but it is a very effectively functioning modern state.

It has a highly competent bureaucracy that seeks to penetrate all sectors of Chinese society and serve what the ruling Communist Party regards as the broader national interest. This includes monitoring, and where possible influencing, Chinese business people and students in their activities overseas.

This is a highly elusive matter, extremely difficult to quantify.

The overwhelming majority of people of Chinese ethnic background living in Western societies such as Australia or the US have no relationship with the Chinese state.

And most of those who do have any relationship with the Chinese state have an entirely wholesome one, such as doing business with the Government or promoting cultural exchange.

.....

Australia has an absolute necessity to protect its secrets and to make sure that the influence of foreign governments is obtained legitimately and with as much public scrutiny as possible.

When Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon took free trips to China and did not declare them to the parliamentary register, he made that harder.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

The overwhelming majority of people of Chinese ethnic background living in Western societies such as Australia or the US have no relationship with the Chinese state.

I going to be sexist here.

Line up a number of beautiful Oriental babes for most Occidental males and it's

game
set
match

[SunkenCiv]

Iran Setting Up Shop South of the Border
PAJAMAS MEDIA | March 27, 2009 | by Todd Bensman
Posted on 03/27/2009 4:28:30 PM PDT by Cindy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2216502/posts

Syria Boasts——>U.S. has Capitulated to Syria and Iran
Yidwithlid/MEMRI | 3/27/09 | Yidwithlid
Posted on 03/27/2009 4:08:06 PM PDT by Shellybenoit
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2216491/posts

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for the ping and the links.

[SunkenCiv]

My pleasure!