Leaders of Australia’s neighbours at risk of being ‘controlled’, spy chief warns
- Secret Intelligence Service boss Paul Symon also suggested discontent with Beijing’s political system could lead to more Chinese officials offering information
- He added a security deal between the Solomon Islands and China is a ‘big deal for Australia and the region’
On China, Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) Director General Paul Symon said he saw signs of growing discontent with a rigid domestic political system, which he suggested could lead to more Chinese officials offering information.
“I see in our region the extent to which democratic systems … can be manipulated [and] political leaders can be … directed and controlled, can take advantage of largesse that has been showered upon them,” Symon said without identifying any countries or elaborating on what he meant by largesse.
Symon stressed the significance of the implications of the security pact for the Solomon Islands and the wider region.
“What is going on at the moment is a big deal. It’s a big deal for Australia, it’s a big deal for the region and I think for the mothers and many of the ordinary citizens of the Solomon Islands it’s a very big deal,” Symon said to an audience which included Britain’s MI6 chief Richard Moore.