Australia has ordered an inquiry into espionage laws and foreign government interference amid growing concerns about Chinese influence in the country's politics, it emerged Tuesday.
The move follows an investigation that discovered the nation's spy agency had warned the country's political elite two years ago about taking donations from two billionaires with links to the Chinese Communist Party.
The probe, by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Fairfax Media, said that despite being cautioned both the Liberals and Labor continued accepting substantial sums of cash.
Their investigation showed that property developers Huang Xiangmo and Chau Chak Wing, or their associates, had donated around AUS$6.7 million ($5 million) to political parties over a decade.
Chau is an Australian citizen while Huang's citizenship application has been stalled by Australia's spy chiefs, ABC said. Both reportedly have connections to the ruling Communist Party.
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