A former member of China’s secret police who escaped to Australia is set to give evidence to the Foreign Interference Commission, as reported by a media outlet.
The individual, using the pseudonym “Eric,” served in China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) for 15 years, including as an undercover agent. He stated that he was invited by the commission to provide testimony as a witness this autumn, according to Australia’s public broadcaster ABC.
ABC has verified Eric’s account as an agent involved in tracking down Chinese regime dissidents worldwide. Eric, posing as a property executive or dissident, received assignments and targets from various countries, attempting to entice individuals to locations where they could be taken back to China.
ABC did not mention whether Eric would testify publicly, and the commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The public inquiry was launched due to concerns about Chinese interference in Canadian society. Although its scope was expanded to examine actions by other states, the focus has remained on China.
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ABC revealed that former spy Eric arrived in Australia last year and handed over a collection of records to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation detailing his activities for the MPS’ Political Security Protection Bureau. This division of the MPS, known as the 1st Bureau, focuses on suppressing political dissent.
“It is the darkest department of the Chinese government,” Eric told ABC. “When dealing with people who oppose the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], they can behave as if these people are not protected by the law. They can do whatever they want to them.”
Eric shared encrypted messages and intelligence reports with the Foreign Interference Commission, as reported by ABC.
The commission already has access to Canadian intelligence related to foreign interference, but firsthand testimonies from inside a Chinese operation could be highly valuable.
Eric was involved in gathering information as an undercover agent on Chinese dissident Hua Yong in Thailand. Hua later relocated to Canada and tragically drowned in a kayaking accident in British Columbia in 2022.
“All I could say is that Mr. Hua had been a long-term target of the secret police.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has not classified the death as suspicious, previously informing The Epoch Times that a thorough investigation had been conducted.
Canada has been rocked by foreign interference incidents in recent years, including the assassination of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. Ottawa has publicly accused Indian operatives of involvement, a claim denied by New Delhi.
Reports indicated the presence of Chinese police stations operating in Canada, prompting the RCMP to take disruptive measures such as revealing ongoing investigations.
Australia received a similar warning about Chinese intelligence operations when Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin defected there in 2005. Chen claimed there were 1,000 CCP spies in Australia at the time.
Andrew Chen and Crystal-Rose Jones contributed to this report.
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