An attempt by a Chinese academic to infiltrate a prestigious institution has been foiled by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). ASIO chief Mike Burgess made the revelation during a Five Eyes summit in California on Oct. 18, saying his intelligence agency “detected and disrupted” the plot in September. “The plot involved a visiting professor, a genuine academic who had also been recruited by Chinese intelligence,” Mr. Burgess said. “Their spymaster gave them money and a shopping list of intelligence requirements and sent them to Australia.” “The academic even set his PhD students research assignments in line with his intelligence requirements.” Mr. Burgess said he took a personal interest in the case upon discovering that one of the research topics was none other than himself....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/australian-spy-agency-thwarts-espionage-attempt-by-chinese-linked-academic-5513042
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has high hopes that the Chinese communist regime will soon remove trade restrictions on Australian wine. This comes after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) handed down a report on Australia’s complaint about Beijing’s punitive tariffs to both sides. However, the report has not been made public as the two countries need some time to consider the findings. During a press conference, the prime minister was optimistic about the prospect of a resolution to China’s wine tariffs. “I’m very hopeful of a breakthrough that removes the impediments when it comes to wine,” he told reporters.... 
A TikTok senior executive confirmed that the social media platform’s Chinese parent company has access to user data, but did not disclose whether the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can also access this data. David Lieber, head of TikTok’s privacy public policy for the Americas, affirmed this during his testimony before the House of Commons Ethics Committee on Oct. 18. However, he did not provide a direct response when asked about the CCP’s potential access to information through TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. “Is that Chinese company, your parent company, is it also regulated under Chinese state national law that should the Chinese government want to access their information … that they could do that?” asked NDP MP Matthew Green....
Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Beijing on Oct. 18, exchanging warm greetings, referring to each other as “old” and “dear” friends, hailing their deepening “political mutual trust.” Furthermore, the Russian leader commended Mr. Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for its supposed role in promoting a “fairer, multi-polar world”—a new world order. At the end of the talks, Mr. Putin said at a press briefing that the three-hour meeting covered various issues, from the economy to political engagement. The discussion included “the situation in the Middle East at length,” Mr. Putin told reporters in Beijing. “I informed [Xi Jinping] about the situation in Ukraine in detail.”...