China likes to contrast its own policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries with US interference in places such as the Middle East. After the US killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Iraqi soil last week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging all parties to ‘‘abide by the purposes and principles of the basic norms of international relations’’. It said the US in particular should exercise restraint.

Wang Liqiang says he was the subject of an extortion attempt by people aligned with the Chinese Communist Party. Credit:

Yet the latest twist in the case of Wang Liqiang, who is seeking political asylum in Australia and claims to be a former Chinese spy, provides an insight into how China is spreading its influence worldwide. The details are confusing and, like everything to do with Mr Wang, open to multiple interpretations. But, as The Age reported this week, Mr Wang says he was the target of an extortion attempt by figures aligned with the Chinese Communist Party who wanted him to take part in a plot to influence the result of this Saturday’s crucial elections in Taiwan.

China insists Taiwan is part of its territory and is backing the more pro-Beijing Kuomintang, which is currently in opposition, to beat the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Mr Wang, who claims he used to run campaigns for Beijing against independence and democracy movements in Hong Kong and Taiwan, says a Kuomintang official and a Chinese businessman threatened him and offered inducements to make a video statement implicating the DPP in corruption.

The story has been denied by the Kuomintang official and it raises as many questions as it answers. But Australian officials have taken the matter seriously enough to brief Taiwanese authorities about what they know.