Penny Wong refuses to confirm whether she discussed Canberra woman charged with Chinese foreign interference with Beijing officials
The AFP on Monday announced a Chinese woman had been charged with foreign interference over the alleged covert collection of sensitive information.
The woman, an Australian permanent resident, was arrested and charged on Saturday after a series of police raids across Canberra.
It is alleged the woman was acting on behalf of a public security bureau in China to secretly compile information about the Canberra Guan Yin Citta branch, a Buddhist sect that is outlawed in China.
The woman is the third person to be charged under foreign interference laws that were rolled out in 2018, sparking concerns of rising tensions with China.
Ms Wong on Tuesday morning repeatedly ruled out saying whether she or any government minister had broached the foreign interference case with Beijing officials and said Australia remained 'clear eyed' on China.
'I think we all are very clear eyed about China and its interests, we've made that clear,' she told Today show host Karl Stefanovic.
'And I'd make this point, we've never said that dialogue eliminates differences. Clearly it doesn't.
The Foreign Minister also declined to make comments on the case and insisted Australia had 'strong frameworks around foreign interference.'
"I can't comment on this specific case that's before the courts. But good try," Ms Wong said.
She did not explicitly say whether she trusted China when pressed to do so and reiterated that China would pursue its interests regardless of Australian commentary.
'I trust China to do what China thinks is in its interest, and I trust Australia to do what's in our interests,' Ms Wong said.
'I think we all are very clear eyed about China and its interests; we've made that clear.
'The question is, how do we manage that? And dialogue and engagement is part of it. It doesn't eliminate differences, but it does enable us to put our views.'
The case has sparked fears of newly inflamed tensions with China.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt on Monday alluded to the threat of espionage on Australian shores.
'At a time of permanent regional contest, offenders will attempt to spy on individuals, groups and institutions in Australia', he said in an apparent reference to Beijing.
The woman's name cannot be revealed due to a temporary suppression order which was granted after her lawyer James Maher argued her safety would be put in jeopardy if her identity was not concealed.
She was refused bail by Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker, who agreed with prosecutors that the woman could be a potential flight risk.
The offence of reckless foreign interference carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess, whose agency provided the AFP with the information to launch their investigation, last week warned about the rising cost of espionage to the Australian economy, which he said amounted to $12.5 billion a year.
He said that ASIO had foiled 24 significant espionage and interference operations in the past three years alone.
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