Duowei News quoted a news article that the BBC had published. On June 28, the Australian Parliament passed new laws aimed at preventing foreign interference in Australia. According to the BBC report, the laws were first passed in the Senate on the 28th. They target espionage, as well as foreign interference in politics and other domestic affairs. The laws specified that industrial espionage for a foreign country will be categorized as a criminal offense. They also require that lobbyists for foreign governments must register their identity. In December 2017, Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia, first announced his plan to introduce a new foreign espionage law while he criticized China for interfering in Australia’s politics. The Duowei article stated that, even though Turnbull denied that the new laws target China, the timing of the laws has intensified the foreign relations between the two. An ABC report suggested that the laws are the explanation for the development of the recent diplomatic conflict between Australia and China.
Sources:
1. Duowei News, June 28, 2018
http://news.dwnews.com/global/news/2018-06-28/60067420.html
2. BBC, June 28, 2018
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-44624270