Australian spy chief accuses China of IP theft and meddling; experts say remarks reflect certain Australian officials’ attempt to mislead public

澳大利亚情报主管指责中国窃取并干涉知识产权；专家表示，这些言论表明某些澳大利亚官员试图误导公众

Australian Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Mike Burgess speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, 26 August 2025. Photo: VCG

澳大利亚安全情报组织(ASIO)澳大利亚总干事迈克·伯吉斯(Mike Burgess)于2025年8月26日在澳大利亚堪培拉议会大厦举行的新闻发布会上向媒体发表讲话。照片来源：VCG

An Australian spy chief on Tuesday accused Chinese security services of widespread intellectual property theft and political meddling and said China failed to understand how their Western counterparts operate. The remarks came on the heels of comments by Australia's Defense Minister Richard Marles, who hyped up China's "military build-up."

周二，一名澳大利亚情报主管指责中国安全部门广泛窃取知识产权，进行政治干预，并表示中国未能理解西方同行是如何运作的。此前，澳大利亚国防部长理查德·马勒斯发表了炒作中国“军事扩张”的言论。

Chinese experts criticized the series of statements, saying they reflect some Australia politicians' anxiety and bias toward China's technological and military progress. Moreover, they said the spy chief's remarks reveal an arrogance rooted in the belief that Western political system is superior, while making such groundless accusations to mislead Australian public opinion.

中国专家批评了这一系列言论，称它们反映了某些澳大利亚政客对中国技术和军事进步的焦虑和偏见。此外，他们还表示，该情报主管的言论是一种傲慢的体现，这种傲慢植根于西方政治制度更优越的思维模式，让他用这种毫无根据的指控来误导澳大利亚公共舆论。

Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, better known as ASIO, claimed that he would continue to call out China for harming Australian interests. Burgess made the claims at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, AP reported on Tuesday.

ASIO总干事伯吉斯声称，他将就中国损害澳大利亚利益继续发声。据美联社周二报道，伯吉斯是在悉尼洛伊研究所做出上述声明的。

He also claimed that China displayed an ignorance of ASIO's role in Australia.

他还声称，中国并不了解ASIO在澳大利亚发挥的作用。

Burgess claimed that China would understand "a Western liberal democracy and the role and the statutory standing of the security service. We work for the government of the day but our security assessments and our security action are independent," Australian spy chief claimed.

伯吉斯表示，中国会知道“何为西方的自由民主，以及安全部门的作用和法定地位。我们为当下的政府工作，但我们的安全评估和安全行动是独立的。”

Claiming that China's intelligence agencies are engaged in large-scale intellectual property theft and political interference is a cliché accusation and reveals the Australian spy chief's deep rooted sense of anxiety and unease - a reflection of his discomfort with China's rapid rise in technology and overall national strength, Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries of Liaocheng University in East China's Shandong Province, told the Global Times.

中国山东省聊城大学太平洋岛国研究中心首席研究员于镭对《环球时报》记者表示，对中国情报机构涉及大规模知识产权盗窃和政治干预是陈词滥调的指控，揭示了澳大利亚情报主管根深蒂固的焦虑和不安感，反映了他对中国技术和综合国力快速崛起的不安。

As for Burgess's claim that China fails to understand how the Western mechanism operates, the accusation itself reveals both arrogance and ignorance, Chen Hong, director of New Zealand Studies Centre from East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

华东师范大学新西兰研究中心主任陈弘告诉《环球时报》，伯吉斯声称中国不了解西方机制如何运作，这一指控本身就暴露了其傲慢和无知。

Chen said the arrogance lies in the belief that the Western model of democracy is inherently superior and that China must learn from or conform to it. In reality, China has its own political system and model of social governance.

陈弘表示，这种傲慢植根于认为西方的民主模式天生优越、中国必须向其学习或与其一致的思维。实际上，中国有自己的政治制度和社会治理模式。

As Australia's spy chief, Burgess made these remarks without offering any evidence — vague and misleading statements aimed not at protecting the public, but at shaping public perception, Chen said.

他还表示，伯吉斯作为澳大利亚的情报主管，在没有提供任何证据的情况下发表了这些模糊且具有误导性的言论，目的不是保护公众，而是塑造公众的看法。

Burgess also said he had a "strong relationship" with FBI Director Kash Patel. "When it comes to protecting Australians, the Americans are great mates and they help us every day and we do our fair share of helping them as well. That's the way it should be.

伯吉斯还表示，他与联邦调查局局长卡什·帕特尔关系“牢固”。“在保护澳大利亚人方面，美国人是强大的伙伴，他们每天都在帮助我们，我们也尽自己的一份力量帮助他们。这就是我们互相协作的方式。”

However, when asked to respond to accusations by US intelligence agencies that China had infiltrated parts of the US power grid and water systems and stolen American intellectual property and personal information, President Donald Trump told CBS News' 60 Minutes aired on Sunday, "We're a threat to them, too. Many of the things you say they do to us, we do to them."

然而，当被要求就美国情报机构指控中国渗透美国部分电网和供水系统、窃取美国知识产权和个人信息做出回应时，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在周日播出的哥伦比亚广播公司新闻60分钟节目中表示，“我们对他们也是一个威胁。他们对我们做的很多事情，我们对他们也做了。”

Diplomatic and trade ties have improved since Australia's current government was first elected in 2022. But security relations remain fraught as Australia joined the US in efforts to counter China in the region, the AP claimed.

自澳大利亚现任政府于2022年首次当选以来，其外交和贸易关系有所改善。但美联社称，随着澳大利亚加入美国在该地区对抗中国的努力，其国际安全仍然令人担忧。

At almost the same time as Burgess made the remarks, Reuters reported on Tuesday that Australia's defense minister Richard Marles also claimed the work of Australia's defense force to protect its sea trade routes, including through the South China Sea, is becoming more risky as China undertakes the "biggest military build-up in the world today."

几乎在伯吉斯发表上述言论的同时，路透社周二报道称，澳大利亚国防部长理查德·马勒斯也表示，随着中国进行“当今世界上最大规模的军事扩张”，澳大利亚国防军保护其海上贸易路线（包括通过中国南海）的工作正变得更加危险。

Although China-Australia relations appear to have "warmed" on the surface, the improvement remains largely confined to trade, with no substantive shift in Canberra's confrontational mindset in the political, military and security spheres, Yu said.

于镭表示，尽管中澳关系表面上似乎有所“回暖”，但这种改善仍主要局限于贸易领域，堪培拉在政治、军事和安全领域的对抗心态没有实质性转变。

The recent Australian officials accusations, Yu noted, show some Australian officials' stance toward China continues to serve the preservation of American global hegemony.

于镭还指出，某些澳大利亚官员最近的指控表明，他们对中国的立场还在继续为维护美国的全球霸权服务。