Defectors Could HurtAustralia-China TiesBy VERONICA BROOKSJune...

Defectors Could Hurt
Australia-China Ties

By VERONICA BROOKS
June 9, 2005

CANBERRA, Australia -- The emergence of two would-be Chinese defectors in Australia comes at an awkward time for the Australian government, as it seeks closer economic ties with its huge Asian neighbor.

A Chinese man, who identified himself as Hao Fengjun, 32 years old, a police officer from China's northeastern port city of Tianjin, said on Australian television this week that he applied for political asylum in February after entering Australia on a tourist visa. Earlier in the week, a Chinese diplomat based in the Chinese Consulate-General in Sydney, Chen Yonglin, 37, said the Australian government had rejected his request for political asylum.

Both men have said they have confidential information, including on alleged Chinese spy networks in Australia, and that they fear for their lives if they return to China.

Neither the identity of Mr. Hao nor the two men's allegations could be independently confirmed. Australian government officials declined to comment on Mr. Hao's case "due to privacy issues." Regarding Mr. Chen's case, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has told reporters that Mr. Chen has applied for a protection visa and that his case is "being considered" by immigration authorities. Reached by telephone, Mr. Hao said he has yet to hear from the Australian government about his asylum request.

The two cases come at a time when Australia is trying to strengthen its economic ties with China. While few expect any long-term impact from these cases, analysts said there could be some short-term repercussions.

'May Hurt Relations'

"If the Australian government offers them political asylum, it may hurt relations," said Zhuang Jianzhong, a vice director of Shanghai Jiaotong University's Shanghai Center for Rim-Pacific Strategic and International Studies. "But since Sino-Australian relations, whether in politics or economics, have been developing so well in recent years, we don't think the Australian government would spoil" the situation.

Michael McKinley of Australian National University's Department of Political Science and International Relations, said the Chen case puts the Australian government in an awkward position. "If Canberra were to give him full political asylum, Beijing would find that to be unhelpful and they might go slow on some trade negotiations for a while, or they might do something else that is a form of reprisal," he said. But he added that any tensions would at most be a "speed bump" in bilateral ties.

Australia's two-way trade with China has tripled since 1996, reaching US$23 billion last year, as Chinese demand for Australian resources such as iron ore and coal has surged to fuel industrialization. Moreover, exports to China are helping shrink Australia's trade deficit and support domestic economic growth, which has slowed sharply since the end of a housing boom in 2004. The two countries are also in the middle of negotiating a free-trade agreement.

Yesterday, Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile dismissed a suggestion that the Chen case could derail these negotiations, or overall bilateral relations. The relationship "is a very robust one...in terms of our engagement with China, what we are doing together, the level of trust, respect and understanding that exists," he said.

Exaggerating?

Some analysts think the two Chinese asylum seekers may be exaggerating their knowledge of espionage activities in Australia, or the scope of the activities themselves, to improve their chances of getting asylum.

Mr. Hao, the police officer, said he worked in a Tianjin office set up to quash the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which the communist government banned in 1999. In such a position, it is unlikely that he would have access to detailed information on how China's spy networks operate overseas.

While concern has been growing in many countries over China's increased espionage activities -- especially in the industrial sector -- some analysts question Mr. Chen's allegation that China has a network of as many as 1,000 spies operating in Australia.