Australia's spy stories defy belief: China Daily editorial

Some Australian media outlets are indulging in conspiracy theories in their attempt to hype up a China threat.

To get political shelter in Australia, fraudster Wang Liqiang was audacious enough to portray himself as a spy for China and a key player creating political interference in Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as Australia. Wang's audaciousness is perhaps understandable as he is desperate to avoid being deported back to China where he will be tried for serious fraud.

Some Australian media, intending to defame China, have swallowed Wang's story hook, line and sinker, and are flopping around trying to breathe air into the story that he is a Chinese spy who has defected and is busy spilling the beans on the identities of China's senior military intelligence officers in Hong Kong to the Australian counter-espionage agency along with details of how Beijing funds and conducts operations in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.

Unfortunately their attempts at creating an espionage thriller have a rather obvious plot spoiler as they have failed to take into account that Wang is an ex-convict under investigation for his involvement in automobile import fraud totaling 4.6 million yuan ($653,000), which was uncovered in February. There is even a video clip proving Wang was once tried for fraud in Shanghai.

That some Australian media have accepted Wang as a defecting spy without bothering to verify his identify and what he said points to their unseemly haste to smear the reputation of China with whatever materials they can lay hands on.

Their willingness to choose to accept what Wang said as gospel and to believe that China would do whatever it can to infiltrate Australian politics speaks volumes about their prejudice against China.

Misinformation such as this does a disservice to the Australian people and takes a toll on the political trust between the two countries.

China has demonstrated it is committed to establishing amicable bilateral relations with Australia. There is no need for China to interfere in Australia's politics. Just because it is the habitual practice of Western countries still stuck in their Cold War mentality does not mean all countries are willing to debase themselves in such a way.

Amicable bilateral relations are in the best interests of both China and Australia. It is not in China's interest to sabotage ties.

The conspiracy theories around fraudster Wang Liqiang will finally be shown to be what they are: an attempt to smear China. Those who have chosen to hype up his lies have only put themselves to shame.