November 29, 2019

Letter 135

Espionage and Interference? Australia Grapples With Its China Relationship

By damien cave and jamie tarabay

Chinese tourists taking photographs outside Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, in January.Matthew Abbott for The New York Times

The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. This week’s issue begins with an excerpt from a news analysis by Damien Cave and Jamie Tarabay.

A Chinese defector to Australia who detailed political interference by Beijing. A businessman found dead after telling the authorities about a Chinese plot to install him in Parliament. Suspicious men following critics of Beijing in major Australian cities.

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For a country that just wants calm commerce with China — the propellant behind 28 years of steady growth — the revelations of the past week have delivered a jolt.

Fears of Chinese interference once seemed to hover indistinctly over Australia. Now, Beijing’s political ambitions, and the espionage operations that further them, suddenly feel local, concrete and ever-present.

“It’s become the inescapable issue,” said Hugh White, a former intelligence official who teaches strategic studies at the Australian National University. “We’ve underestimated how quickly China’s power has grown along with its ambition to use that power.”

American officials often describe Australia as a test case, the ally close enough to Beijing to see what could be coming for others.

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In public and in private, they’ve pushed Australia’s leaders to confront China more directly — pressure that may only grow after President Trump signed legislation to impose sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials over human rights abuses in Hong Kong.

Even as it confronts the specter of brazen espionage, Australia’s government has yet to draw clear boundaries for an autocratic giant that is both an economic partner and a threat to freedom — a conundrum faced by many countries, but more acutely by Australia.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison continues to insist that Australia need not choose between China and the United States. A new foreign interference law has barely been enforced, and secrecy is so ingrained that even lawmakers and experts lack the in-depth information they need.

As a result, the country’s intelligence agencies have raised alarms about China in ways that most Australian politicians avoid. The agencies have never been flush with expertise on China, including Chinese speakers, yet they are now in charge of disentangling complex claims of nefarious deeds, all vigorously denied by China.

Read the rest of our analysis here.

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Australia and New Zealand

A firefighter near Colo Heights, Australia, northwest of Sydney, on Tuesday.Reuters

The World Burns All Year. Are There Enough Planes to Douse the Flames? As climate change pushes California’s fire season into Australia’s, an intricate system of resource sharing struggles with the load.
‘99 Problems but My ABCs Ain’t One’: Jay-Z Sues Over Children’s Book: The Little Homie, a small Australian online retailer, says it is celebrating hip-hop. Jay-Z, who has spoken out about black identity and equality, says it is engaging in theft.

Swimmers Beware of Deep Brain Stimulation: The electronic implants reduced Parkinson’s symptoms, but also erased some patients’ ability to swim.

New Zealand Is Tackling Hot-Button Liberal Issues in One Swoop: The country will decide whether to legalize assisted suicide and recreational marijuana, and whether to decriminalize abortion. Conflict-averse New Zealanders may be pushed onto uncomfortable ground.
New Zealand Man Convicted of Murder in Grace Millane’s Death: The British backpacker’s killing in 2018 led to soul searching in a nation that is seen as relatively safe
Koalas Aren’t Extinct, but Their Future Is in Danger, Experts Say: Claims that koalas were “functionally extinct” spread widely online as fires raged in Australia. But some scientists warned of the dangers of exaggeration.
Would-Be Chinese Defector Details Covert Campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan: The claims by an asylum seeker in Australia couldn’t be independently verified, but Western officials are treating them seriously.
Company Behind ‘Fearless Girl’ Statue Goes to Court Over Replicas: A statue of a defiant girl was supposed to empower women. But when copies of the artwork appeared around the world, the company that originally purchased it fought back.
Clive James Dies at 80; Literary Critic Took His Wit to TV: A transplanted Australian, he had a zest for the knockout punch as he sparred with all things cultural, creating a pungent comic persona on British television.

Around The Times

Prince Cyrus, Princess Sakina and a servant in 1998 on the roof of the Malcha Mahal. They called their mother “Your Highness,” and when she died, they embalmed her body themselves.Barry Bearak/The New York Times

The Jungle Prince of Delhi: For 40 years, journalists chronicled the eccentric royal family of Oudh, deposed aristocrats who lived in a ruined palace in the Indian capital. It was a tragic, astonishing story. But was it true?
Hong Kong Election Landslide Signals More Frictions With Beijing: Democracy supporters were emboldened by capturing most of the seats in local elections, but Beijing and its allies are reluctant to compromise.
You’re Tracked Everywhere You Go Online. Use This Guide to Fight Back: You can’t stop all of it, but you don’t have to give up.
Achieving Transcendence on the Millionth ‘Frozen’ Viewing: Once a father took his aversion to “Frozen” and, yes, let it go, he realized that beyond the branded backpacks and Anna and Elsa matching sock sets, the movie is an ingeniously crafted tale.

And Over to You …

Last week, we wrote about the love-hate relationship between humans and magpies. Many of you shared your own magpie stories. (And pointed out we missed a big draw: their beautiful birdsong.)

“Magpies are also thieves, they will steal your heart. ️I just discovered that the family of four I’ve been feeding are fascinated by water from a hose. On a recent hot weather day, I had four sodden birds playing underneath a hose I held for about half an hour.

I don’t think there is anything quite like Australian magpie song. That, above anything else is the reason I love these birds. If you’ve never heard it look it up. See if you can find a dawn chorus of magpies — magic.

It’s 7:30 a.m. and the magpie kids are in the backyard now, I can hear squawk annoying one of his parents. Time for worms.”

— Sean Flannery