(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
ECHO HUI: A Chinese spy handler messages his undercover operative.
Both handler and agent
are part of China's Both handler and agent
are part of China's powerful secret police force...
..a vast global network
running covert operations on foreign soil.
Including right here in Australia.
Now for the first time
a former Chinese secret police agent reveals his identity.
He exposes the undercover operations he was ordered to carry out
and the threat to Australia's national security.
LAURA HARTH: These are illegal operations
undeclared to the Australian government,
to the Australian authorities.
He reveals the tactics used to hunt down and silence
those China deemed enemies of the state.
Eh?
DAN STANTON: Eh?
DAN STANTON: You have a foreign state
obviously following this young fellow,
obviously and then he dies.
This is very concerning.
Are you now a target?
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS)
It's just before dawn
on a bitter winter morning.
A spy with China's notorious secret police
has made the dangerous decision to flee his country.
(CAR DOOR SHUTS, ENGINE STARTS)
(HUBBUB)
Using a student visa,
he escapes to Thailand...
(JET ENGINES WHINE)
..before boarding a flight to his final destination, Australia.
He heads to the headquarters
of Australia's domestic spy agency, He heads to the headquarters
of Australia's domestic spy agency, ASIO.
of Australia's domestic spy agency, He's ready to hand over secrets
he's carefully guarded for more than a decade.
He tells ASIO officers about his career as an undercover agent.
They copy his files
and tell him not to make any further contact with ASIO for his own safety.
In August last year
the ABC's Investigations unit In August last year
the ABC's Investigations unit received an encrypted email.
the ABC's Investigations unit We didn't know it at the time,
but it was from this very same former spy.
And that's where our story begins.
I've been reporting on China
and the Chinese government's activities overseas
for over a decade, activities overseas
for over a decade,
but what he gave me was like nothing I'd ever seen.
Hundreds of secret documents, text messages, photos,
Hundreds of secret documents, voice messages, bank records,
a trove of information he had gathered
a trove of information working for the most powerful arm
of the Chinese working for the most powerful arm
of the Chinese intelligence apparatus.
The spy goes by the name 'Eric'.
He's now coming out of the shadows at great personal risk.
This is the first time
anyone from China's secret police has gone public.
He wants to expose China's global intelligence network
and their clandestine operations right here in Australia.
Why are you doing this interview?
Eric worked for the notorious First Bureau
of China's Ministry of Public Security.
This is China's secret police force. Ministry of Public Security.
This is China's secret police force.
The MPS portrays itself as really a police service,
but in my mind they're anything but that. The MPS portrays itself as really a police service,
but in my mind they're anything but that.
They are, in fact, actually a security service
with a political mission. actually a security service
with a political mission.
Their job is to protect the party's status,
Their job the Communist Party of China.
And when I say 'status', I mean control.
And when I say 'status', The party has to remain in control.
It's also had a role in trying to silence dissidents The party has to remain in control.
It's also had a role in trying to silence dissidents
as well as to map the dissident networks.
How do you intimidate, how do you silence
and how do you ensure that these people are not effective or active?
Do you believe there are secret police here in Australia?
Eric's secret life began as a 22-year-old college student.
An idealist, he says he joined a US-based pro-democracy organisation
called the China Social Democratic Party, or CSDP.
(INDISTINCT CHANTING)
As the country around him prepared for the 2008 Beijing Olympics,
there was a knock at Eric's door.
Eric says he was taken to a small room at a local police station.
The police interrogated Eric
about his involvement with the pro-democracy group.
They questioned him over several days,
and finally he was offered a chance at redemption.
That redemption meant betraying everything he believed in
and becoming part of the murky world of Chinese intelligence.
One of the most extraordinary things Eric told Four Corners
was about a Chinese intelligence operation on Australian soil.
This is an actual recording of Eric's secret-police handler
directing him to hunt down a target in Australia.
This is the man who Eric was tasked with hunting down.
Edwin Yin is on the run,
alone, paranoid and unable to live a normal life.
He says he's been under constant surveillance by the Chinese state
He says he's been under constant for the past six years.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
Edwin is being targeted because he crossed a red line.
Edwin is being targeted In his online videos
he has been deeply critical of Chinese president, Xi Jinping,
he has been deeply critical and has ridiculed Xi's daughter.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
He fled China and arrived in Australia in 2018.
In 2021
Edwin was targeted In 2021
Edwin was targeted in a brutal physical attack.
Edwin was targeted He suspects they were Chinese agents.
Edwin reported the assault to local police.
Last year in Sydney
the Australian Federal Police executed a sensitive search warrant.
the Australian Federal Police The secret raid
was connected to a Chinese The secret raid
was connected to a Chinese espionage operation in Australia.
Edwin's name was among the victims of the operation
Edwin's name was among listed on the search warrant.
Soon after, he was called in for a meeting with the AFP.
That espionage investigation is ongoing.
The AFP declined to comment about Edwin Yin's case.
China claims Edwin Yin is a criminal.
And he IS a controversial character.
In China he has been charged with fraud.
In China And an Australian court ordered him
to repay $700,000 over an alleged foreign-exchange scam.
Four Corners spoke to the victim,
who says Edwin DID commit the crime
and that he has scammed others.
Edwin says he has been framed by the Chinese government.
Soon after he arrived in Australia,
the attempts to repatriate him began.
In this phone call,
Edwin's then-girlfriend in China
told him she was being pressured
to assist the Chinese told him she was being pressured
to assist the Chinese foreign intelligence service.
The targeting of Edwin escalated.
In March 2020
his new partner, Michelle, received a In March 2020
his new partner, Michelle, received a call from her parents back in China.
his new partner, Michelle, received a Michelle is an Australian citizen.
She was told her father was gravely ill.
(TRAFFIC BUZZES)
The day after she arrived back in China,
Michelle says she was forced to meet with intelligence officers.
At this time, Michelle was pregnant with Edwin's child.
She says the officers and her terrified family
started pressuring her to abort her baby.
Michelle believes the officers were worried
a baby could give Edwin a pathway to Australian citizenship.
Michelle managed to return to Australia,
but even here the intelligence officers continued to pressure her.
Michelle emailed the Department of Home Affairs
detailing the harassment and asking for protection.
detailing the harassment She received no response.
The Department of Home Affairs
declined to answer The Department of Home Affairs
declined to answer specific questions.
Despite the pressure, Edwin Yin continues his political activism.
(EXHALES HEAVILY)
Eric and Edwin's story
is part of something much bigger. Eric and Edwin's story
is part of something much bigger.
China's vast spying apparatus operates on a global scale.
Civilian intelligence-gathering
comes under two main bodies -
the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of State Security.
The Ministry of Public Security,
which most people think about
as sort of the domestic security service,
as sort of the domestic and that's largely correct,
but they have an intelligence mission as well.
Then we have the Ministry of State Security,
where I think most people think of that
as their civilian intelligence service.
Holden Triplett led the FBI's office in Beijing.
Holden Triplett As part of that job,
he regularly met with the Ministry of Public Security, or MPS.
he regularly met with the Ministry (APPLAUSE)
Under Xi Jinping's rule,
this control has become much tighter.
Now almost no dissent is tolerated,
and Xi has strengthened his grip on the Chinese population overseas.
and Xi has strengthened his grip (APPLAUSE CONTINUES)
Now they're heavily engaged (APPLAUSE CONTINUES)
Now they're heavily engaged in the world, right?
They need resources from all sorts of places.
They need resources And, so, making sure
that they have control over these Chinese populations,
wherever they are in the world,
is essential for them wherever they are in the world,
is essential for them to continue to maintain power.
is essential for them So, anyone within Chinese population
internally or in the diaspora or perhaps even outside of it
that could threaten the party's control,
that's what they would be investigating, opposing
that's what they would and disrupting if necessary.
That's why Eric was so useful.
As a dissident himself,
he could infiltrate the broader pro-democracy movement.
(INDISTINCT SINGING)
In 2016
Eric was invited to a gathering of activists in Dharamshala,
home of the Tibetan government in exile.
There he met with the Dalai Lama.
He filed a report back to his police handler
detailing the exiled government's future China policy.
It was well-received.
He was rewarded with a new mission to Cambodia.
(TRAFFIC BUZZES)
(HORN BEEPS)
On October 12
Eric flew from China to Phnom Penh.
There he was provided with an apartment and a cover story.
(HORNS BEEP)
He began working at Prince Real Estate,
He began working part of the Prince Holding Group,
a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate
with close ties to the country's leadership.
In Cambodia
Eric's main target In Cambodia
Eric's main target was a man called Wang Liming,
Eric's main target also known as Rebel Pepper.
He was an everyday Chinese marketing guru also known as Rebel Pepper.
He was an everyday Chinese marketing guru
until he became an enemy of the state
until he became by becoming a journalist
and cartoonist.
Not just any cartoonist.
Rebel Pepper's work took aim at China's political elite,
Rebel Pepper's work including President Xi Jinping.
From China's human-rights record
to its domestic and international affairs,
Rebel Pepper's images provide a sharp critique of his homeland.
His trenchant cartoons
drew the wrath of the Chinese Communist Party,
and in 2014 he was forced to leave his home.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Eric was tasked with luring him to Cambodia
from Japan, where he was living. with luring him to Cambodia
from Japan, where he was living.
Under the guise of a Prince Group employee,
Eric reached out to Rebel Pepper.
Every message Eric sent was first approved by his police handler.
In this voice message,
Eric's handler tells him to exploit Rebel Pepper's need for money.
Rebel Pepper now lives on the outskirts of Washington, DC.
Oh.
He doesn't know it,
but the fan was Eric.
Rebel Pepper's designs were shown at events held by Prince Real Estate.
Rebel Pepper's designs were shown (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
The company's senior managers
even posed for a picture in front of one of them.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
The Prince Group told Four Corners
they have no affiliations with the Chinese government.
Do you recognise these email exchange
between you and a person named Xiao Yang?
Eh?!
Wah!
Do you feel scared?
(HORN BEEPS)
(TRAFFIC DRONES)
Eric's secret-police work continued.
In 2018
Eric was sent on another overseas mission,
this time to Bangkok,
where he was embedded in a hotel group
where he was embedded as a business planning manager.
One of his main targets was this man -
a dissident and artist called Hua Yong.
Hua Yong had long been an outspoken critic of the Communist Party.
Hua Yong had long been an outspoken In 2012
he staged a protest commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre,
punching himself in the face.
In 2017 he made international headlines
by documenting Beijing's mass evictions of migrant workers.
After being repeatedly detained and harassed by police,
Hua fled China to Thailand.
But even there he wasn't safe.
Eric was directed to initiate contact with Hua Yong
in a voice message from his police handler.
They discussed tactics to flush Hua out.
Eric proposed creating a fake anti-CCP online persona
Eric proposed creating to get close to him.
His police handler was willing to help.
(GUNSHOT)
Eric recorded videos pretending to be the leader of an anti-CCP militia.
This is Eric in the Thai jungle posing as their spokesperson.
(TRADITIONAL MUSIC PLAYS IN BACKGROUND)
(GUNSHOT) PLAYS IN BACKGROUND)
(GUNSHOT)
The plan worked. Huan Yong was impressed.
Increasingly afraid for his safety,
in 2021 Hua fled again,
this time to Canada on a protection visa.
this time to Canada But Eric's pursuit didn't end.
He maintained close contact But Eric's pursuit didn't end.
He maintained close contact with Hua Yong,
and was invited to join his core group of activists.
He sent detailed reports of Hua's movements
He sent detailed reports back to his police handler.
Is that the residence of the dissident?
Is that the residence Yeah.
I showed the report to Dan Stanton.
He was an intelligence officer
with the Canadian Security and He was an intelligence officer
with the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service for 32 years.
He ran their China desk for four years.
The map is... What?
His daily activity.
He walked from home to a friend's home.
Wow. The distance...
Wow. Um...
So, pattern of life - Um...
So, pattern of life -
what his routines are,
what he likes to do.
This is impressive.
Someone in the group was befriending the dissident.
And then would be reporting back on his activities,
his personalities, who he has contacts with.
his personalities, So, from the Chinese perspective,
they're identifying and neutralising So, from the Chinese perspective,
they're identifying and neutralising a threat to the state.
For Canada, we've got a sovereignty issue here.
I'm on my way to the place that Hua Yong called home
after leaving Thailand...
..to a small town called Gibsons on the picturesque west coast.
It's a ferry ride west from Vancouver
and an ocean away from China.
(BIRD SQUAWKS)
I speak with people around town who have met Hua Yong.
What do you remember about him? You said he came to the store.
What do you remember about him? What he said? What he asked for?
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
They tell me he spent his days in Gibsons working on his art,
They tell me he spent his days kayaking, fishing and catching crabs.
(SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
(LAUGHS)
(WAVES LAP)
Four months after he arrived in Gibsons
Four months Hua Yong died.
He drowned in these waters on a cold autumn night.
He had gone out in his kayak.
His body was found floating in the water the next morning.
(WAVES LAP, BIRDS SQUAWK)
This friend doesn't want to be identified
for fear of retribution from the Chinese government.
Canadian police say Hua Yong's death was not suspicious.
But, after years of tracking him, Eric has his doubts.
So, you were effectively helping the secret police
track down people who were innocent of any crimes.
Do you feel any guilt for your involvement?
Knowing that Hua Yong was a target for the Chinese secret police,
do you think it warrant further investigation into his death?
I think it clearly does because... do you think it warrant further investigation into his death?
I think it clearly does because...
Not to suggest that's exactly what happened.
Not to suggest Not to suggest that the state, uh...
..may have had a hand in his death.
But I just think this is very compelling
But I just think when you have a foreign state
obviously following this young fellow
obviously and reporting on him,
and then he dies.
This is very concerning, in my opinion.
China's intelligence networks
have been more active in Australia China's intelligence networks
have been more active in Australia than previously thought.
(VOICEOVER SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE) have been more active in Australia than previously thought.
(VOICEOVER SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE)
President Xi Jinping has used his anti-corruption campaigns,
Fox Hunt and Sky Net, his anti-corruption campaigns,
Fox Hunt and Sky Net,
so-called fugitives to China
to return more than 12,000 so-called fugitives to China
since 2014. so-called fugitives to China
since 2014.
They have also been used as cover
to silence and kidnap dissidents.
Many were forced to return in covert operations
without the knowledge or permission of local authorities.
Laura Harth has investigated the Australian cases.
LAURA HARTH: Australia is one of those countries
LAURA HARTH: where, between 2014 and 2023,
Chinese sources state where, between 2014 and 2023,
Chinese sources state
that there were at least 16
successful individual extrajudicial returns.
Four of those were in 2023.
Those 16 people were accused of committing economic crimes.
We don't want to imply, you know,
that all these people are innocent
of the crimes that have been alleged.
But we do see instances that, you know, clearly point to the fact
But we do see instances that, that people were sought
because they might be critical of the current leadership.
These operations have included
Chinese police secretly coming These operations have included
Chinese police secretly coming to Australia to extract people.
Chinese police secretly coming In 2014, when this was made public,
it caused a major diplomatic incident.
In 2019
Chinese officers came again,
this time with permission from Australian authorities.
this time with permission But we can reveal
they didn't follow the agreed protocol
and took their target back to China.
They used the local Chinese Consulate-General and Embassy
They used the local Chinese to help them.
We believe this was an operation
that was not declared to the Australian authorities.
So, for the PRC to launch these illegal operations
undeclared to the Australian government,
undeclared to the Australian authorities,
going on people...after people to the Australian authorities,
going on people...after people on Australian soil
is clearly in violation, in brazen violation,
is clearly in violation, of the sovereignty of Australia.
(SIREN WAILS)
The Australian Federal Police (SIREN WAILS)
The Australian Federal Police declined to comment.
These repatriations
are part of a broader strategy to build networks overseas.
MPS comes, says "We're police, we're doing anti-corruption,
"a bunch of criminals in your country,
"let us clean them up, let us take them" -
that sounds like a really great idea.
And, by allowing that to happen,
we allow them to get a foothold
in the United States, Australia and other places.
And they've built from that foothold,
and now they have a much stronger apparatus
that can reach out and touch more and more people.
Former spy Eric says Australia isn't prepared.
Has Western governments dropped the ball on this?
I'd say Western governments have dropped the ball on MPS Has Western governments dropped the ball on this?
I'd say Western governments have dropped the ball on MPS
and on the bigger picture of transnational repression.
We haven't listened to our diaspora community.
We haven't listened So, it's easy to see
how a foreign state's intelligence So, it's easy to see
how a foreign state's intelligence apparatus could exploit that.
A little bit of indifference on the government side,
and fear from the community side in speaking out.
and fear from the community side Completely dropped the ball.
(BIRD TWITTERS)
This is a meeting that's been months in the making.
This is a meeting Eric, the former undercover agent,
is now face to face
with one of the men he was tasked with hunting down.
(CHUCKLES) OK.
Eric and one of his other former targets, Edwin,
now live in the same city, breathe the same air
now live in the same city, and share the same fears.
Eric, no longer a spy, is now also a target of his former masters.
Do you believe you can have a safe life here in Australia?
(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation