China ambassador Xiao Qian criticizes ASIO over foreign interference claims and Five Eyes statement
Consensus Summary
China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, published an opinion piece criticizing ASIO for airing a video before Director-General Mike Burgess’s June 24, 2026, speech that included footage of ongoing Chinese foreign interference cases. Xiao Qian argued the video could harm individuals involved in pending legal proceedings and accused ASIO and Five Eyes agencies of fabricating claims against China. ASIO defended its actions, citing multiple convictions of individuals involved in foreign interference, including a Melbourne man sentenced in 2024 for attempting to influence a former federal minister. The ambassador also rejected a Five Eyes statement accusing China’s military intelligence of using LinkedIn to target personnel, calling it slanderous. Australian security experts and former officials, including Justin Bassi and Rachel Noble, pushed back against the ambassador’s claims, emphasizing the real and documented threats posed by China. The incident has heightened tensions between Australia and China, with calls for the ambassador to be summoned for an official rebuke.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, published an opinion piece criticizing ASIO for airing a video before ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess’s speech on June 24, 2026, that included footage on Chinese foreign interference cases.
- The video included footage of two Chinese nationals (a 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman) charged with reckless foreign interference for allegedly gathering information on the Canberra Buddhist Association in February 2026.
- Xiao Qian attended Mike Burgess’s annual threat assessment speech at ASIO headquarters in Canberra on June 24, 2026, sitting in the second row.
- ASIO cited the conviction of a Melbourne man in 2024 for attempting to interfere in Australia’s political system to advance the interests of the Chinese Communist Party, and the conviction of a Sydney man for giving Chinese spies information on Australia’s economic, defence, and political priorities.
- The Melbourne man was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison in 2024 for trying to secretly influence former federal minister Alan Tudge.
- A Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network statement in June 2026 accused China’s military intelligence services of using professional networking sites like LinkedIn to target Five Eyes personnel.
- Xiao Qian called the Five Eyes statement 'slanderous' and accused the alliance of 'concocting a sensational charge against another nation out of thin air'.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The video aired before Burgess’s speech was seven minutes long and included news clips on antisemitism, the Bondi terror attack, the return of 'ISIS brides' to Australia, and Chinese foreign interference cases.
- ASIO spokeswoman pointed to the conviction of a Sydney man who gave Chinese spies information on Australia’s economic, defence, and political priorities as evidence of foreign interference.
- The video was largely focused on antisemitism and the Bondi terror attack, with only a small portion covering Chinese foreign interference.
- Justin Bassi, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, called for Ambassador Xiao Qian to be summoned for an official rebuke and accused his opinion piece of being 'foreign government propaganda based on mistruths'.
- Rachel Noble, former Australian Signals Directorate boss, defended ASIO’s role in warning Australians about threats, including espionage and foreign interference from the PRC.
- Clive Hamilton, public ethics professor at Charles Sturt University, stated that Australians would be less nervous about China if the Chinese government behaved less threateningly.
- A 2023 Senate inquiry on foreign interference through social media found that authoritarian regimes like China and Russia are deploying cyber-enabled disinformation activities to advance their interests at Australia’s expense.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC article mentions the video included footage of an Australian businessman found guilty of reckless foreign interference in March 2026, but the SMH and THEAGE articles do not specify the businessman’s name or case details beyond the Melbourne and Sydney convictions.
- The ABC article states the video was 'largely focused on antisemitism and the Bondi terror attack,' while SMH and THEAGE describe the China-related section as covering around 15 seconds of the seven-minute video, implying a smaller focus on those issues.
Source Articles
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China ambassador attacks ASIO, rejects foreign interference accusations
China’s top diplomat attended a speech by ASIO boss Mike Burgess last week, sitting in the second row. He didn’t like what he saw.
China ambassador attacks ASIO, rejects foreign interference accusations
China’s top diplomat attended a speech by ASIO boss Mike Burgess last week, sitting in the second row. He didn’t like what he saw.