ANDREW HASTIE, MP: In Australia it is clear that the Chinese Communist Party is working to covertly interfere with our media and universities and also to influence our political processes and public debates.

Last year, in response to a scandal over Chinese Communist Party influence in Australia, the federal government passed sweeping new laws, banning foreign interference in Australian politics.

CHRISTIAN PORTER, AG: We consider that the potential for foreign interference and foreign influence in our democratic system to be of such a high level of concern that it motivates us to totally redraft the laws so that we have the full suite of powers to police these real.

Despite this, there's evidence that covert Chinese Communist Party interference is continuing.

MAREE MA: Why are people afraid? Because of repercussions from the Chinese consulate or the Chinese government.

ANDREW HASTIE, MP: We've had multiple briefings at the top secret level from ASIO and other agencies that foreign interference is being conducted in Australia at an unprecedented level.

Tonight on 4 Corners, new revelations about China's interference operations in Australia and the efforts to influence our politicians.

Chinese New Year in Sydney's south.

It's an event as important to campaigning politicians as it is to many locals.

Around than half the people living in this area have Chinese heritage.

Among them is Maree Ma.

Ma manages Chinese language newspaper the Vision China Times, which sought to sponsor the new year's event.

MAREE MA, VISION CHINA TIMES: I'm being a sponsor for a council that has the largest Chinese population and the largest group of our readers Actually lives within this council is actually very important to us and for us to connect with our readers and for us to reach. Build that bridge between our local community and the Australian mainstream society.

Maree ma says the Chinese government is seeking to control the news that Chinese Australians can read and listen to.

NICK MCKENZIE, REPORTER: What is the purpose of that control?

MAREE MA, VISION CHINA TIMES: Well I guess to control what people say about the government and how much the Chinese community know about the truth, about issues and things that are going on.

LOUSA LIM, THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: Well, for the Chinese Communist Party, they're really keen on the sort of narrative control, the story of China is a story that they themselves want to define, and want to tell, and anyone who sort of, uh, departs from the official version of, of, of China's story, uh, that's not something that they want to hear, so, uh, other views are not welcome.

Maree Ma's paper refuses to take orders from Chinese government censors.

MAREE MA, VISION CHINA TIMES: We are truly servicing the Chinese community here so they can actually get an understanding of what is really going on. There are some Chinese language media who try to be independent as well in their reporting. But there is always a red line that everyone is actually quite afraid of crossing.

NICK MCKENZIE: Why are people afraid?

MAREE MA, VISION CHINA TIMES: Because of repercussions from the Chinese consulate or the Chinese government.

Maree Ma's newspaper is read by Chinese Australians across the nation and publishes stories critical of the Chinese communist party. Because of this, it has been targeted again, and again. Vision Times advertisers based in China have been visited by Chinese intelligence officers from The Ministry of State Security, warning them to pull their ads.

MAREE MA, VISION CHINA TIMES: They were annoyed. They were very annoyed. But because they want to have the ad with us because it's generating income for them. However, because of the disturbances that they are receiving in their day to day operations from these visits from the Ministry of State Security they had to just pull the ad.

In Australia, Chinese government officials have waged an extraordinary campaign to hurt the Vision Times. Last year, after initially being accepted as a sponsor for the Chinese New Year festival, the Vision Times was suddenly told by the Georges River Council its sponsorship was cancelled.

MAREE MA, VISION CHINA TIMES: We were slightly suspicious because we thought there could have been some pressures, coming from the Chinese consulate.

Four Corners has obtained an email sent by the Chinese consulate to the Georges River Council- warning it to black ban Maree Ma's paper

EMAIL: we have noticed that a politically anti-China media named Vision China Times has been listed as an event supporter ... we have attached great importance to our co-operation with the Georges River City Council and hope there will be no change to the policy of George River City Council on supporting the development of Australia-China relationship.

NICK MCKENZIE: Why would the Chinese consulate be so upset about your newspaper sponsoring this local government event?

MAREE MA, VISION CHINA TIMES: Because we are independent paper. It's a newspaper that they cannot control and the Chinese consulate don't like any media outlets that they cannot have some sort of control over.

Worried her paper would again be blocked from participating in another New year's festival, Maree Ma took her concerns directly to the Georges River Council.

MAREE MA, VISION CHINA TIMES: There has been some controversy around whether or not to approve our sponsorship this year and there has been an FOI lodged for information around the cancellation last year. Per the cancellation letter, the reason was due to council wanting to stay with existing media partners However, since then, we have strong reasons to believe that the real reason was due to interference from a foreign government. We are shocked. We'd like to seek a direct answer from the Council whether that was the case.

Maree Ma's demand to know if the Chinese government was interfering in the affairs of the council sparked a furious debate between councillors.

Cr, Sandy Grekas: I keep asking myself and I can't find an answer as to why was the decision made not to accept vision china times sponsorship when they clearly comply with our sponsorship policy. So, no, putting aside perhaps potentially the most galling of claims. That there was potentially foreign government influence.

Cr Vince Badalati: These assertions are based on no facts at all. And councillor Grekas is really, really overstepping the mark on this. And I suggest you get your facts right because once again you are wrong.

Cr, Sandy Grekas: well we will soon find out if there is any communication between a foreign government and our council, I suppose we will find that out.

Gail Connolly, GM, Georges River Council: Mr mayor, the acting CEO has advised me that we did receive a letter from the consul general and that email said council consider not accept the sponsorship due to the vision times being considered to be politically anti-china and that information was relayed to the MEACC members at that time.

Confidential council documents obtained by Four Corners reveal Chinese government officials pressuring the council to black ban the Vision Times... even after Marree Ma questioned the council about Beijing's interference

EMAIL: This morning I had a call from Mr Tony Wong who works for the Chinese Consul ... to remind us that he would like to keep a friendly relationship between China and New South Wales. He wanted to make sure that there were no embarrassing situations this year and re-iterate their position involving anti-china groups.

EMAIL: Mr Tony Wong from the Chinese Consulate phoned to remind Council of the delicate issues around this anti-Chinese group.

When the council refused to extend its ban on Maree Ma's newspaper, the Chinese consulate called again

FILE NOTE: I received a call from the Office of the Chinese Consul General (CCG). The CCG was disappointed that Georges River Council would include anti-Chinese political groups in the Lunar New Year event As a consequence, the CCG will not attend the event

NICK MCKENZIE: Are you anti China?

MAREE MA, VISION CHINA TIMES: No. We actually love China and that's the reason we are actually running this a media outlet too, because we love China. We want the Chinese people here to actually know about the real news in China and also the actual views and real views of the Australian government here.

ANDREW HASTIE, MP, CHAIR, COMMITTEE FOR INTELLIFENCE & SECURITY: There are several authoritarian states who are involved in foreign influence across the globe. But in Australia the Chinese Communist Party is probably the most active. China is seeking to influence our elites, particularly our political and business elites, in order to achieve their strategic objectives.

While the Chinese Government threatens those who don't tow the party line ... those who do are rewarded. Much of Australia's Chinese language media market is heavily influenced by the Chinese Government, thanks in no small part to this man, Melbourne millionaire Tommy Jiang. Jiang is a media mogul financing movies, mixing with celebrities and golfing with politicians. Jiang owns Chinese language media outlets across Australia and the world.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: Tommy Jiang is a very important media proprietor in Australia. He owns most of the Chinese language radio platforms in Australia, in most capital cities. He's got other business interests, including in Australia, and China, and globally, so he's a really important figure in Chinese media.

LOUISA LIM, THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: Jiang is running an international network of radio stations, expanding network of radio stations, uh, which are running state-run Chinese propaganda into different countries around the world.

Jiang's rise has been propelled by the Chinese government. He is a delegate to the China People's Political Consultative Conference, a platform of the Communist Party's united front work department- which engages in lobbying and influence work for Beijing. In 2009 Jiang formed an Australian media joint venture with a Global CAMG, a company controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: Essentially, Chinese language media platforms in Australia have been co-opted largely, by the Chinese Communist Party. They've been incentivized. In some cases they've been bought, or entered into various license arrangements and agreements. And on the other end of the spectrum, publishers, or independent voices who are prepared to have different views, have been intimidated. Their financial revenues have been squeezed. Advertisers have been threatened. So really, we're talking about a full ecosystem of incentives and disincentives which dry up the space for independent voices, and reward people who are prepared to tow the line for Beijing.

A dinner party at a restaurant in suburban Melbourne where the guest of honour is radio host Xiao Lu. Xiao Lu was once a fixture on Tommy Jiang's Melbourne radio station 3CW. But he's now off the airwaves. Xiao Lu is too scared to be interviewed by Four Corners to say why he's been taken off air. But his friend Dr Liu says Xiao Lu's Melbourne talkback program offended the Chinese government.

DR LUXIN LIU: I think he know clearly he was monitored. He was, somebody watching him, yeah. He, I think he knew that. Very well.

NICK MCKENZIE: And how did that make him feel?

DR LUXIN LIU: Make him put some restraints to himself. So when he choose topics, when he takes calls from the listeners, may be careful.



Four Corners has obtained directives to Xiao Lu from 3CW management, telling him not to let talkback callers say anything bad about the Chinese government, including president Ji Xinping's belt and road infrastructure program or the constitutional change making xi president for life. In July, Xiao Lu was told by 3CW his program needed to change. Tommy Jiang then called Xiao Lu chastising him for allowing talkback callers to criticise the Chinese communist party.

RECORDING OF TOMMY JIANG: If this continues, I will have trouble with my business partners in Melbourne and other partners too. You will also be in trouble. It has gone too far. You can't just let them verbally abuse China and the Chinese Communist Party on air. Furthermore, their language is too vicious, you can't allow that to happen.

Xiao Lu's program was cancelled

DR LUXIN LIU: I was very surprised. The program was stopped but I was very surprised, because it's very popular, and got so many listeners, and so many years and, the program of Xiao Lu is so helpful to the community.

GEREMIE BARME, FMR DIR AUST. CENTRE ON CHINA IN THE WORLD, ANU: Well, the thing about the Chinese Communist Party is that they're constantly worried about their legitimacy: constantly. And as a result of that type of concern, one believes that the only way to maintain stability and stability in one society is not only through police and political action, but also by having people, if they don't agree with you at least be silent.

Tommy Jiang's wealth and business ventures have allowed him access to the good and great of Australian politics. In 2013 Tommy Jiang hosted a Chinese business awards night where then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was a special guest, and guests donated $260,000 to the ALP. Jiang has organised fundraisers for both major parties with few questions asked.

ANDREW HASTIE, MP, CHAIR, COMMITTEE FOR INTELLIFENCE & SECURITY: When it comes to donations, particularly, politicians should be naturally circumspect about who they receive donations from. Particularly if donors have connections to overseas, and particularly to foreign governments who are seeking to influence our political processes.

As well as his media interest, Tommy Jiang is overseeing the $100 million dollar development of the Twin Creeks golf course in outer Sydney. His fellow director in this venture is casino industry tycoon Jack Lam, seen here at a golf club event. Jack Lam is a member of three organisations involved in the Chinese Communist Party's united front overseas influence network. He also a fugitive. In 2017, Lam was charged with paying a 1.3 million dollar bribe to senior immigration officials in the Philippines.

After fleeing the Philippines, Jack Lam visited his Australian golf club, twin creeks. It was there in February 2018 that Lam and fellow director Tommy Jiang hosted a golf day. Their special guest was Tony Abbott, who as prime minister had been warned by ASIO about foreign influence and donations. A fortnight later, Tony Abbott was again hosted by Twin Creeks, this time for an event supporting his local liberal party branch. Mr Abbott told the fundraiser he was no friend of communism, while the liberal party later declared $40,000 in services donated by Twin Creeks.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: Look, if I was a politician, I wouldn't be taking money from somebody who is involved in a foreign propaganda outlet.

NICK MCKENZIE: Why not?

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: Because there's at least the risk of the perception of conflict of interest, of being tainted.

John Garnaut was one of Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull's senior advisers on China.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: There's no doubt that the Chinese Communist Party has sought to use all sorts of vehicles to have non-transparent mechanisms, means of influencing the politics in Australia and elsewhere.

Andrew Hastie chaired the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security that spent months analysing how the Chinese government was interfering in Australian politics ... he helped push through sweeping new laws banning foreign interference

ANDREW HASTIE, CHAIR, COMMITTEE FOR INTELLIFENCE & SECURITY: We've had multiple briefings at the top secret level from ASIO and other agencies that foreign interference is being conducted in Australia at an unprecedented level. We heard from the head of ASIO say that on the public record, espionage and foreign interference is being conducted in Australia on unprecedented levels, and we have to take that seriously.

CHRISTIAN PORTER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: We consider that the potential for foreign interference and foreign influence in our democratic system to be of such a high level of concern that it motivated us to totally redraft the laws so that we had the full suite of powers to police these real concerns.

Australia's new counter foreign interference regime was introduced after Four Corners exposed the activities of this man- billionaire property developer Huang Xiangmo.

NICK MCKENZIE: ABC Four Corners, we'd like to ask you about your relationship to the Chinese Communist Party.

Huang Xiangmo: I don't have any relationship (with them).

NICK MCKENZIE: Is the Chinese Communist Party directing you to donate to Australian political parties?

Huang Xiangmo: No, no.

Huang Xiangmo arrived in Australia from China in 2011. His Australian companies have donated millions of dollars to charity and political parties.

SAM DASTYARI, FMR ALP SENATOR: Let's not pussyfoot around here, Huang Xiangmo was a seriously influential person in the Sydney Chinese community and also in the broader Australian political makeup. This is one of if not the largest political donor to the major parties.

In 2015, spy agency ASIO warned Labor and the Liberals that Huang posed a risk of engaging in foreign interference on behalf of Beijing.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: There is a lot of well documented evidence, to use your word, of Huang Xiangmo's umbilical connection to political organizations which were guided, if not controlled, by Beijing. He was the president of the most important United Front work department platform in Australia.

Huang's donations gave him extraordinary access to senior politicians.



JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, it tells us how cheap our political systems are. I mean, it's extraordinary that nobody did any due diligence, any serious background checks for so long. In fact, it was the case also, people weren't even reading the newspaper. So, political systems and parties just took what they could for as long as they could get away with it. And the danger was, that they were becoming financially dependent on a foreign political system. And that is a precarious place to be.

Within Labor, then Senator Sam Dastyari was among Huang's closest political allies. His dealings with Huang forced him to resign.

SAM DASTYARI, FMR ALP SENATOR: I've been very upfront and honest. I was too close to the big donors like Huang Xiangmo, I paid a very, very high price for that, I resigned from Parliament because that was the most appropriate thing that I could do.

The story of Huang's connections does not end there.

NICK MCKENZIE:

We have obtained new information about how Huang sought, and gained, access to politicians, including a senior minister. This information has remained out of public view for years, despite all the scrutiny on Huang. The revelations come with insiders from labor and the coalition privately telling Four Corners they are concerned the full and continuing story of Beijing's meddling in Australia has not been told.

In late 2014, while trying to expedite citizenship for his family, Huang Xiangmo sought a political favour- a private citizenship ceremony.

SAM DASTYARI, FMR ALP SENATOR: So this was one of the strangest interactions that I ever had with Huang Xiangmo, and that was that his family and his children had been approved already to become Australian citizens. But it's actually a long process. He wanted the ceremony brought forward for his wife and children.

Dastyari passed on Huang's request for a private citizenship to then immigration Peter Dutton.

SAM DASTYARI, FMR ALP SENATOR: I put a request in on New Year's Eve because I work throughout the year, on New Year's Eve, end of 2014 start of 2015. Two weeks later in mid January it was approved by Peter Dutton. That blew me away. It blew me away because ministers take months, months for these kinds of approvals.



NICK MCKENZIE: Peter Dutton might say, "well the only reason why I Peter Dutton approved this was because Sam Dastyari asked me in writing. I took him on good faith". Is that not a fair response?

SAM DASTYARI, FMR ALP SENATOR: I am not the Minister for Immigration, right? I mean, if Peter Dutton's explanation for doing things is because Sam Dastyari asked him to do it, that is ludicrous.

Huang's family's private citizenship ceremony was held inside Dastyari's office

NICK MCKENZIE: Peter Dutton has called you a double agent, isn't this a bit of payback from you?

SAM DASTYARI, FMR ALP SENATOR: What Peter Dutton wants to call me is a matter for Peter Dutton. I mean look, politics is, there's a lot of rough and tumble in politics. And I've, I've punched and I've taken punches and I accept that's part of the territory

By the time Huang moved to apply for his his own citizenship in late 2015, he was being investigated by ASIO which was worried about his access to Australian politicians.

ANDREW HASTIE, CHAIR, COMMITTEE FOR INTELLIFENCE & SECURITY: He did have a lot of access. Um, he was photographed with a lot of senior figures. undeniably, he had a lot of influence. And, um, you know, you can make the connection between his donations and that influence.

Huang turned to another political contact, Santo santoro, a former minister in the Howard government turned lobbyist. Santoro's business involves providing access to politicians. Four Corners has obtained a confidential record of a meeting in which he boasted about his direct line to Peter Dutton

RECORDING OF SANTO SANTORO: One of my best friends is Peter Dutton. He is the most honest politician that I have ever come across, but he tries to be helpful. Like if there is, you know, a capability or a critical mass of investments that comes into Australia, or that can come into Australia, he will try to help.

Santoro tells his clients he can help with attempts to expedite immigration applications

RECORDING OF SANTO SANTORO: There is nobody else anywhere who is better placed than me to help you through this particular part of the project. Nobody. I can go to somebody in the Minister's office and say 'can you have a close look at this.'

Santoro charges at least $20 thousand dollars to access Peter Dutton's office

RECORDING OF SANTO SANTORO: If I am going to be doing the work and going to Canberra with a copy of the visa application and hand it over to somebody and say 'can you help', no, no, I want to get paid and get paid up front.

In 2016, as Huang become increasingly anxious about securing his own citizenship, he put Santoro on a retainer. In March that year, Santoro delivered... arranging a lunch between Huang and Dutton and the minister's senior staffer in a private room at Master Ken's restaurant in Sydney's Chinatown. This gave Huang Xiangmo direct access to the man most citizenship applicants could only dream of meeting to push their case. Santoro told Four Corners his work with Huang was limited to providing introductory services. Both Huang and Santoro deny their arrangement was aimed at getting Huang citizenship. Peter Dutton confirmed the lunch, but denied he assisted Huang. Huang's attempt to get a passport failed and last November, on advice from ASIO he posed a risk of foreign interference, he was banned from re-entering Australia.

ANDREW HASTIE, CHAIR, COMMITTEE FOR INTELLIFENCE & SECURITY: Well, we've heard from our security agencies that espionage and foreign interference in Australia is being conducted at unprecedented levels. So, Mr. Huang being denied citizenship is very significant, because it shows that this government is prepared, ah, to use the powers at their disposal to protect our sovereignty and our democracy

CHRISTIAN PORTER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Given that there are very strict new laws requiring relationships to be transparent, as we move into the future, if people were acting, trying to influence a government outcome and they were doing that being paid for or engaged by a foreign principle, then as of the institution of this legislation, now, that relationship would have to be documented and knowable to the Australian people.

In New Zealand, academic Anne-Marie Brady has been investigating how the Chinese Communist Party interferes in political systems overseas. In 2017 she released an explosive report exposing allegations of Chinese government interference in New Zealand politics.

PROF. ANNE-MARIE BRADY, UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY: It's been described as a bombshell, and it's had the significance has gone well beyond NZ. In my paper, I found that there was substantial donations, particularly to the New Zealand National Party, but Labor, also, and the Mari Party, of figures who I were able to identify as being very closely affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party's united front work activities.

GEREMIE BARME, FMR DIR AUST. CENTRE ON CHINA IN THE WORLD, ANU: I have known Anne-Marie Brady for nearly 30 years now, and I worked with her closely on her PhD thesis, I think she's a very calm and collected academic, very focused, very stern and serious academic. She's principled and outspoken and that, in any environment, can cause people to feel irritated.

The day before she was due to give evidence before Australia's parliament about her report, her home and office were burgled.

PROF. ANNE-MARIE BRADY, UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY: There are many indications that from the start, from what was taken and what was left behind, that make it look like it was not your normal burglary, for example, targeting of a broken laptop. Of no value to anybody, unless you wanted to know who my contacts are or get other evidence off my laptop. Taking a burner phone that I'd last taken to China, but not taking cash, not taking other valuables that are of great re-saleable value. That's unusual.

ANDREW HASTIE, MP, CHAIR, COMMITTEE FOR INTELLIFENCE & SECURITY: We were very disturbed. We had an esteemed academic from New Zealand, telling us that she'd had her, ah, home broken into, her laptops taken from her, and she was suggesting foreign interference. We took it very seriously.

Government sources have confirmed to Four Corners that intelligence assessments identified China's spy service, the Ministry of State Security, as the prime suspect behind the intimidation of Brady. Just after she was called before the Australian parliament, Chinese intelligence agents interrogated her academic collaborators in China about her testimony, which had been published on the parliamentary Hansard record.

PROF. ANNE-MARIE BRADY, UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY: There was a visit to the university who had hosted me in November 2017, also from the Ministry of State Security, and they were upset that I had spoken to Hansard about that evidence. All these kind of factors told me that I was of interest to the Ministry of State Security in China



China's spy agency has been active in Australia as well. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's senior china adviser John Garnaut is a former journalist who spent six years in Beijing. In 2016, Malcolm Turnbull directed Garnaut to partner with spy agency ASIO on a top secret report about the Chinese government's interfere campaign in Australia

NICK MCKENZIE: You did a classified report with for the Department of Prime Minister and cabinet, about Beijing's interference in this country. What did that report find?

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: I have been involved in a classified project, and I clearly can't talk about the contents of that project.



Garnaut's work with ASIO appears to have been of intense interest to Beijing. In early 2017, China expert and Sydney academic Dr Feng Chongyi, came to the attention of the Chinese authorities over his friendship with Garnaut. On a trip to China Dr Feng was detained for several days and interrogated by Chinese intelligence officials. For the first time he is willing to reveal the details of that interrogation.

DR FENG CHONGYI, UTS: I would say they focused very much on John Garnaut.

NICK MCKENZIE: On John Garnaut?

DR FENG CHONGYI, UTS: John Garnaut. I happened to be a good friend of him. And actually, we spent a whole day or maybe more than one day on him, in every detail, where we met, what kind of things we talked about, what kind of contacts we had together, and all that, in every details.

NICK MCKENZIE: What did they want to know about John Garnaut?

DR FENG CHONGYI, UTS: He knows his position in government, what exactly he's doing. What he was doing China, and what he has been doing back in Australia in every detail what so ever.

NICK MCKENZIE: Did they know that John Garnaut was working for Malcolm Turnbull?

DR FENG CHONGYI, UTS: Yes, actually, they knew a lot about him. During the interrogation, they did not hide that they were angry with him.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: Look, leaving aside the work that I was doing, the fact that an Australian resident, who's an important part of the national debate here, could be detained without any legal process, in a hotel room in Guangzhou for the best part of a week, shows a certain disregard, or disparagement for our ability to defend the rights of our own citizens and our residents.

NICK MCKENZIE: And questioned about you, the prime minister's advisor.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, that seems to add an extra layer of contempt.

In March last year, another of Garnaut's Chinese contacts was quizzed. Australian writer Yang Hengjun was enroute to a meeting with Garnuat in central Sydney when he was unexpectedly diverted.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: We were going to meet at 4:00; he arrived closer to 5:00. And he apologized because he said he'd been intercepted on the way, he'd been called by a Chinese official.

NICK MCKENZIE: A Chinese official?

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: A Chinese official, yeah. He was asked about me, what was the nature of our relationship, what was I doing, what was I working on.



After this, Garnuat warned Yang not to travel to China. Garnaut was worried that Yang might be arrested due their relationship ... and felt Yang was especially exposed as a former security service's employee who'd become a critic of the Communist Party.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: This is the most powerful story of all, is the insider who came to know too much, and tells his story outside. Certainly in my experience, my most important teachers and sources were insiders in the Chinese system who were prepared to talk about it, and explain how it works.

Yang ignored Garnaut's advice and in January flew to China with his wife Xiaoliang and her 14 year old daughter. When Yang arrived, Chinese officials were waiting

XIAOLIANG YUAN, WIFE OF YANG HENGJUN: And then, when my daughter and I were going through customs, after we had gone through, there were about 10 people, men and women, that had official IDs hanging around their neck that stopped us. After they stopped us, they looked at my daughter's passport and said it seemed that there are some problems. They were all big men with official IDs on them, they also had a small video camera filming everything. After we had come out, we were separated, my daughter and I were taken by a car and my husband was taken by another car. We haven't seen each other since then.

Now in Shanghai, Xiaoliang is still waiting for news of her husband. She hasn't been allowed to see him since he was detained. Until now, she has never spoken publicly - it is extremely perilous to do so in China.

XIAOLIANG YUAN, WIFE OF YANG HENGJUN: My family, a family member who I was with everyday and then suddenly disappeared. I have absolutely no idea whether he is well or even if he is alive or not. It is just no news at all. Also, I can't do anything to help him to proceed through a legal approach. So I am devastated. I just want him to come home safely.



Yang has not been formally charged, but he's been accused of endangering state security. He has been detained for three months and has not been allowed to see a lawyer.

XIAOLIANG YUAN, WIFE OF YANG HENGJUN: It gets harder as time passes, mainly because I can't see him. I would have felt better if the lawyers could see him and verify that he is alright. There is absolutely nothing we can do at the moment.

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: I think it's quite standard for people in his situation to be kept awake for days and nights on end, as a way of breaking down mental defenses, and inducing really, what can be a form of madness for some people. It's normal to be fed disinformation about what your friends are saying, what foreign governments are saying, what your own government is saying. So they will be potentially trying to destabilize Dr. Yang, and I find that a very disturbing idea.

Xiaoliang says she has been banned from leaving China. She is calling on the Australian government to fight harder for the release of her husband.

XIAOLIANG YUAN, WIFE OF YANG HENGJUN: I think Australian Government officials need to pay attention to their citizens when they are overseas, their basic human rights. Show some concern for their situation. To be honest, I have been very disappointed. I hope the Australian government will at least show a little concern.

ANDREW HASTIE, MP, CHAIR, COMMITTEE FOR INTELLIFENCE & SECURITY: Mr. Yang is an Australian citizen. He enjoys the rights and responsibilities of Australian citizenship. And so his detention, in a sense, is a detention of us all. We're all Australian citizens. How could we guarantee that we wouldn't be detained, ah, if we went to China?

JOHN GARNAUT, FMR ADVISOR PM, MALCOLM TURNBULL: I would like to see the government do more. I'd like to see the government do more behind closed doors. And I'd like to, at the very least, see some really strong statements about what this is, and why the importance of Yang to the Australian community, the Australian society.

Detaining Yang in China has silenced him and his blog. Whether that was the aim is unclear, but the Chinese Communist Party is running a campaign here in Australia to silence others.... Seemingly unperturbed by new laws and scrutiny aimed to stop this very behaviour.