Australian spy chief warns universities about ‘foreign interference’ on campus in veiled reference to China

Australia’s domestic spy chief has warned that universities need to be “very conscious” of foreign interference in an apparent reference to China’s perceived undercover influence on campuses.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director general Duncan Lewis told politicians in Canberra late on Tuesday that espionage and foreign interference were an “insidious threat”.

Lewis said foreign powers were “clandestinely seeking to shape” the opinion of the Australian public, media organisations and government officials “in order to advance their countries’ own political objectives”.

“We need to be very conscious of the possibilities of foreign interference in our universities,” Lewis said. “That can go to a range of issues. It can go to the behaviour of foreign students, it can go to the behaviour of foreign consular staff in relation to university lecturers, it can go to atmospherics in universities.”

Lewis did not specifically name China in his late night testimony to a parliamentary inquiry, but when questioned about China’s involvement, he said he “strongly identified” with comments made by a senior government official this month that universities should protect themselves from Chinese influence.