Australia's spy chief has rung the alarm on state-backed espionage, naming China as a chief concern for its attempts to hack telecommunications and infrastructure.

Create a free account to read this article

Login or signup to continue reading

Continue with Email

Continue with Google

Continue with Apple

However, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said there were threats from even friendly nations given the "relentless hunger" for strategic advantage.

In a speech to corporate watchdog ASIC on Wednesday, Mike Burgess said Australia had entered a period of "strategic surprise and security fragility".

"Great power competition is driving unprecedented levels of espionage," he said of the US-China geostrategic contest for primacy."

An ASIO-Australian Institute of Criminology collabor

See Full Page