Report claims Australian intelligence raided Chinese journalists' homes
China
China's state news agency have reported on Tuesday that Australian intelligence agency staff searched the homes of Chinese journalists in June, questioning them for several hours and removing their digital devices including mobile phones.
Chinese media outlets published details of the episode – dating back to late June – amid fallout over the plight of two Australian journalists who arrived back home on Tuesday after an intense standoff with Chinese authorities and a temporary exit ban.
The Global Times reported the journalists were questioned and their computers and phones seized, citing a source close to the matter that it didn’t identify. Xinhua News Agency had a similar article, while the China News Service said the homes of four journalists from three Chinese media outlets were raided by Australian police on June 26, who eventually found they did nothing wrong.
Australia has been locked in a tussle over a series of diplomatic moves that China has interpreted as supporting the US in the expanding trade and security dispute between Beijing and Washington.
Australia’s foreign affairs department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(With inputs from agencies)