Chinese spies are watching and reporting dissidents in Australian universities to the CCP

Chinese students in Australia are reportedly being monitored by their peers who are sending information back to the Chinese Communist Party, the Advertiser reports.

NGO and human rights advocacy organization, Human Rights Watch (HRW), said it had become aware of disturbing cases of Chinese students being targeted in Australia for criticizing the Chinese Communist Party.

"Knowledge about these ­incidents then quickly circulated through the community, spreading fear and self-censorship," a submission by HRW to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence said.

One student told HRW, "If you protest against the CCP abroad, they will find people you love and hurt them to make you pay."

The submission further states that students who participate in discussion that is critical of the Chinese government or partake in protest events are threatened and surveilled.

Chinese students have reportedly warned Human Rights Watch about the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, which they say has connections to the Chinese Embassy and consulates.

"Human Rights Watch believes that institutions of higher learning around the world should resist the Chinese government’s efforts to undermine academic freedom abroad," the submission states. Yet, many Australian universities remain unprepared to address these threats in any systematic way."

"Therefore, this submission and our recent research concentrates on failures by Australian universities to uphold academic freedom for Chinese- speaking students and China-focused scholars," the submission continues.