 Chinese officials on Tuesday protested Australia's decision to grant asylum to a former diplomat from China and warned that the case could affect relations between the two countries.
| "Hey! Youse can't do dat!" |
Australia last week granted a permanent visa to middle-ranked diplomat Chen Yonglin. He left his post at China's consulate in Sydney in May and asked for asylum, claiming he would be persecuted if he returned home because of his sympathy for the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which Beijing brands as an evil cult. He later claimed to have information that Beijing was running a vast spy network in Australia.
| Shucks. Bet the Aussies never expected to hear that! |
Australian officials confirmed on Friday that Chen, his wife and 6-year-old daughter had been granted a permanent protection visa - typically given to people fleeing persecution in their homeland. The Chinese Consulate General in Sydney issued a statement Tuesday accusing Chen of fabricating ``unfounded and fictitious stories.''
The statement rejected Chen's claim that he faced persecution. ``There is no so-called political persecution at all,'' the statement said. ``Therefore we firmly oppose the decision by the Australian government to provide a protection visa to Chen Yonglin and request the Australian side properly handle this case so as to ensure the healthy development of Chinese-Australian relations,'' it added.
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