Australia Shoots Back At China, Asserts It Has A Right To Carry Out Intelligence Raids On Chinese Journalists

After China condemned Australian intelligence raids on homes of Chinese journalists, Australia's Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has shot back asserting the Government's right to conduct intelligence raids to prevent foreign interference, reports Hindustan Times.

Dutton asserted that in cases where the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has sufficient grounds for the execution of a search warrant, or for activities otherwise, then they will undertake that activity.

Speaking in a no-holds-barred fashion, Dutton pressed, "If people are masquerading as journalists or business leaders or whoever they might be, and there's evidence that they are acting in a contrary nature to the Australian law, then the agencies will act."

It should be noted that the bilateral relations between China and Australia have vitiated in recent times and continue to go down a deteriorating path. Earlier this year, Australia's call for an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 virus had also irked Beijing.

China too has taken measures to irk the Australian authorities. For instance, China has imposed trade restrictions on products including barley and wine, following which Australia took steps to tighten the national security tests for foreign investment, targeting China.