SYDNEY: Australian police said Wednesday they have charged two Chinese nationals with foreign interference, accusing them of spying on a Buddhist group at the behest of police in China.
The pair – a 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman – have each been charged with one count of “reckless foreign interference”, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.
When the two appear in court on Wednesday, police will allege they worked with a Chinese national charged last August for covertly gathering information on the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist group in Australia’s capital, Canberra.
They are alleged to have worked under the command of China’s Public Security Bureau, the country’s main domestic law enforcement body.
Beijing urged Australia to "prudently" handle the arrests of two Chinese nationals.
