it's probably a safe bet that the all-powerful Chinese President Xi Jingping is not a regular viewer of 60 minutes but he'll certainly want to say this story and that's because from his point of view it's all about the unthinkable a Chinese spy one of his own people is betraying him breaking ranks and defecting to the west Australia to be more specific tonight China's dirty secrets will be revealed by a very brave man who's now placed a very big target on himself and being no doubt what one licheng is doing is so dangerous speaking publicly is probably the only way to save his life hi Nick are you around we have something you might be interested in an informant came to see us in relation to wanting to expose how the Chinese spy network works around the world as an investigative reporter there are very few times I've received a message this important it's late October and one of my sources tells me a spy for the Chinese Communist Party wants to blow his cover today this guy was actually being followed he realized that if he doesn't expose this soon his life might be in danger I arranged to meet him in an airport hotel in Sydney and what one William lachung reveals is stunning and unprecedented are you scared in speaking out what Amazings of face to tell the truth inside of me I am extremely frightened you know kanji this is a confession like no other [Applause] never before has a Chinese spy gone public in this way in from the cold our insider admits personal involvement in a series of Chinese espionage missions [Music] in Hong Kong violence and kidnappings aimed at disrupting the democracy movement and in Taiwan a master plan to bring down the president what risk is he taking in speaking out and going public death death not just for him but for his own family the fate of Wong lachung and his young family now rests with the Australian government he's told them Chinese spies are operating here with impunity and tonight we corroborate his claims by exposing the operation to place an agent in our Parliament it was like something out of a spinal this isn't just cash in a bag you know given for favors this is a state-sponsored attempt to infiltrate our Parliament and Australians should be very very concerned about this [Music] one William lachung has painted for as long as he can remember he loves the feeling of freedom and self-expression it brings him and yet these are the very privileges he's devoted his adult life to destroy by working as a spy were you working as a Chinese intelligence officer sudah yes at 27 Wong's fresh face appearance belies a disturbing reality for years he says he's performed undercover espionage operations on behalf of the Chinese government fortune gala my eagle and though though though none of my family members knew until I came to Australia and applied for a protection Wang says his life as a spy began when he was enlisted to work for a so called investment company based in Hong Kong but it was actually a front for Chinese government spy agencies and he alleges his boss young-shin was a high ranking military official seen our awards and with he was trying to recruit me as a corps member it took you into his trust so that yes to be honest there's a Chinese national this was attractive singles yeah as in it's attractive to be a spy at that time the word spy didn't cross our mind we just thought that those things were the tasks we need to do for the country one of Wong's first missions in Hong Kong was to sabotage the city's independence movement for months now the streets here have resembled a battle zone with rolling protests and escalating violence but the fight for control of Hong Kong has really been going on for much longer for the first time one reveals Beijing secret strategies this is something I really want to let the public know I know very well the way they operate to achieve his mission Wang was ordered to infiltrate universities to convert students away from democracy movements and into the arms of the Chinese Communist Party hi common channel schism week 3 we send some mainland students to join these students Association and they pretended to support Hong Kong independence they found out information about those pro-independence activists then we attack them verbally and made public all their personal data as well as the data of their parents and family members in such a way it effectively silenced their did you instruct people to gather intelligence or information about dissidents students democracy activists Scioscia come in the bleeding they didn't necessarily know that they were spying the students in Australia and the other countries were not even aware that these so-called information collecting was espionage it's not something he's proud of but one says many of the students he influenced are now involved in the violent clashes with pro-democracy students as we've seen again this week yes I influenced them with patriotism guiding them to love the country love the party and our leaders and fight back strongly against those independence and democracy activists in Hong Kong could well never come back here to Hong Kong no he can't he just can't do it if he's just if he's you know for him to survive stay alive to stay alive yesterday he can't come back here Philip Gregory has spent years trying to expose Chinese spies he says Wong's revelations about Beijing 'z activities in Hong Kong will ignite tensions how rare is it that he's doing what he's doing this is once-in-a-lifetime kind of situation the fact that he's risk so much and that he's so articulate about what he's doing the fact that he can name names you know this is incredible you can have a rumor but if you name names it's a different story it's not just universities where Wang's spy operation worked it's influenced many Western media outlets and politicians describe such activities as peaceful protests his extraordinary claim is that his boss infiltrated local media from inside major Hong Kong television networks does that have a ring of authenticity to it absolutely I've been controlling the messages what it's all about you know the idea is to get the message right to the people that need to know it and in China that's the party's message as a specialist in counter espionage Philip Gregory has watched our interview with Wong and scrutinized his claims what are your impressions a young man full of incredible torment a brave man someone whose really believes what he's saying you call him brave how brave incredibly brave to a point that the only thing that I think sustains this man is his strong belief in what he's doing and in particular on freedom for himself and face children what would happen to you if he went back to China you can't India the babe hundreds imagine the consequence of a spy betraying the organization I know very well that the Chinese Communist Party can never be trusted once I go back I will be dead coming up that's not your name is disguise no distortion and deceit we established a cyber army I gave the orders kidnapping and other crimes you're making some big statements but is he telling the truth every detail can stand up to scrutiny that's next on 61 William lachung is the first Chinese spy to ever publicly blow his cover in Australia he's exposing secrets about China's interference operations around the world but in exchange he urgently wants our protection well you're making some big statements why should Australia or Australians believe you me if I don't tell the truth the Australian Government will not protect me there is no benefit for me every detail and every incident I have spoken about can stand up to scrutiny [Music] we've come here to Hong Kong to verify parts of our insider story it's a place that for him he's far too dangerous to ever come back to [Music] one says one of his most alarming assignments for Beijing was an operation that terrified the people of Hong Kong and caused international uproar for others connected to the bookstore have reportedly disappeared in just the last two months it was late 2015 when one by one five owners of the Causeway Bay bookshop disappeared only to reappear in detention on China's mainland it's widely believed the abductions were ordered because the store was selling anti Communist Party books but Beijing's always denied it and to be fair there's never been any proof until now is it right that you helped organize the Causeway Bay bookshop kidnapping you may say so as I was one of the insiders who ordered the task this is the first time an agent inside the kidnapping operation has broken ranks most of the victims like this man Lee Bo were terrified of reprisals and so refused to admit they were kidnapped no doubt zone how about they huh unalloyed a but one tells a very different story we were directly involved in coordinating the kidnapping of Lebo Wang says he personally delivered the orders from his boss to the kidnapping team Oh Mormons my boss's organization is in direct contact with the Chinese sighs and what were the orders that you gave to the person you contacted job or arrest Lee Bo as soon as possible now he sent six agents who took Lee Bo from the storeroom of Causeway Bay books directly to mainland China Beansie dialogue we may hide another loss yeah it's just here in the bookshop was a major incident because people were just expressing their views Australian intelligence expert Philip Gregory knows the bookshop case well and he's traveled with us to Hong Kong to help test Wong stores you know the sciences of closed the Chinese state has always denied the kidnappings why is what our insider has to say about it's so important because he gives us the detail you know from an from an intelligence point of view what he's doing here is really pinpointing the series of actions that led up to it and giving us very clear insight as to why it happened and how it happened how all the Chinese state view him talking about the Causeway Bay bookshop kidnappers they'll see it as a essential betrayal he's put himself against the biggest state in the world the details wrong is risking his life to reveal our extraordinary but from our investigation they hold up in Hong Kong we checked names addresses company details and we've spoken to confidential sources on the 22nd floor of this tower is the headquarters of Wang's spy operation business records link it to the Chinese military's weapons arm the Lincoln sets yet another of Wang's stunning revelations that his organization was allegedly involved in stealing US military intelligence bureau shun me to steal US intelligence is absolutely my boss's most important work why he mentioned on many occasions that the US had been closely monitoring him because much of the US intelligence he had stolen was obtained in other countries those she thought was an outside Philip Gregory says ones decision to release insider secrets like this one will incensed the Chinese Communist Party this is a threat that needs to be taken care of from their point of view so I would have thought that we need to be extra vigilant with this young man he's by speaking out given himself a death sentence effectively long term he he has to face the the prospect that his life will be always under threat because they will not forget coming up follow his really scam made in China we could instantly take down their Facebook the plan to overthrow a fallen leader haywire is in the front line or democratic countries should pay attention and the plot to infiltrate Australia he was cultivated by Chinese government to run as a little party candidate that's next 60 minutes most spies will face a moment however fleeting when their loyalty falters but really does it lead to an operative abandoning his country and spilling its secrets [Music] that's what makes one William leach Young's decision so unusual that's you in the photo yeah is that your date of birth no that's not your name is it no he says his moment of truth came six months ago with the arrival of a fake passport it triggered a deep fear that he was about to lose his true identity forever when did you decide to become a defector I was given the task to go to Taiwan this time I was to change my name my whole identity to go to Taiwan and be a spider this is the main reason I came to Australia to seek asylum the mission Wang's bosses planned for him in Taiwan would have been his most critical yet US Navy Chiefs sailed their warships through the strategic and highly sensitive Taiwan Strait today Taiwan is the major fault line between the world's two most powerful countries the US and China some experts say tensions over Taiwan could even spark war but as one reveals a secret battle is already being waged Taiwan would be among all issues what the Chinese Communist Party is most concerned about is the unification of Taiwan then Xi Jinping's position would be unshakable uo3 our insider says Beijing wants to topple Taiwan's current u.s. friendly president and it's master plan to do it will alarm the world is it right what you're saying your job was to meddle in Taiwan's upcoming presidential election secretly for the Chinese government yes that's why I needed to change my name and not use my true identity was your ultimate aim to make sure the current president of Taiwan was not elected yes woman hi the ones on taijuan was the most important work of house the infiltration into media the temples and grassroots organizations [Music] temples like this one were targeted by Wong's operation because they're such important political and social hubs here in Taiwan his ultimate aim was to undermine the Taiwanese president because she's considered hostile by Beijing the world woke up to the reality of election meddling when Russia was exposed for interfering in the 2016 US election they used sophisticated cyber techniques to hack into computers and networks used by the Clinton campaign it's eerily similar to what's now playing out in Taiwan deputy foreign minister suchan Xu is convinced his country's political system is under cyberattack from Beijing but his government has never been able to prove it are you concerned severely yes gravely we are gravely concerned about this why should the international community care about what is going on in Taiwan Taiwan is in the front line so it's not only issue between China becomes China and Taiwan it's an issue between two political camps in the world so what's happening in Taiwan today it's a good example for what will happen in other parts of the world and I think all democratic countries should pay attention to what what's going on into democracy here is hard one and fiercely protected at this rally political factions fight it out in a passionate if at times overzealous display of freedom of speech and political expression Taiwan's democracy looks healthy but one claims it's under attack and he should know one of his key missions was to back the presidential candidate appearing here tonight by secretly meddling in the election this is presidential candidate hon core you he's preferred by Beijing and boasts an army of backers but during last year's local elections he had a secret army - one knows this because he was their boss woman's honey the one you beat all wonky sri rama soon we established a cyber army if we wanted to attack someone we could instantly take down their facebook Taiwan yeah or the GB I was responsible for organizing the cyber army attacks and a large number of people involved were University students I was on so - and you were giving orders which we added I gave the order we changed their IP addresses to other countries so they would not be identified once our messages were out online public opinion would follow one reveals his organization also has control over operatives working at Taiwan's leading media outlets who were directed to shift public debate in Beijing favor right now we are facing multiple threats do you think some within the Chinese Communist Party fear Taiwan's system of democracy definitely definitely I mean chai China has an authoritarian regime Xi Jinping is his intent to disrupt our democracy to undermine our government's credibility and to decrease our citizens trusting our government would it surprise you to learn that the Chinese government is sending intelligence operatives into Taiwan with the order to interfere in the election if we understand how Chinese come his party Iran's their government we won't be surprised by that Wang says he's supposed to be in Taiwan right now carrying out his orders to sabotage the upcoming presidential election instead since May he's been hiding out in Australia where his wife is studying and living with their two-year-old son it's taken five months for one to gather the courage to contact the Australian government and ask for protection why did it take me so long to stand up it was because during this period of time they had been continuously trying to persuade me to come back go find me that Libya including following me in Australia so you say you were followed what happened Kawa they wanted to see whom and what kind of people I made contact with to track my movements and find out my address I have moved house three times within such a short time and I may move again in the future it's the feeling of being followed is really scary was Nick's our working for Asia mystery in Melbourne guy who was a bit of a high-roller living beyond his means the Chinese plot it was surreal bucks on the out of the spine up to penetrate our government the first thing I've been doing is recruiting that's next sixty minutes [Music] it's early March and the cleaner at a motel in suburban Melbourne has discovered a body on the floor of a room the dead man is Nick Jiao a Melbourne car dealer and a young father of one his death is sudden and mysterious and whispers begin to spread not only among his friends and family but through Australia's intelligence world - when did you first hear about Nick sale I heard about Nick zero several months ago what did you hear I heard that he was a 32 year old Norman resident cultivated by the Chinese government to run as a Liberal Party candidate in the Commonwealth Parliament and Nick Co is now dead federal MP Andrew hasty chairs the parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security he's been briefed on the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Nick Jo including allegations he was targeted by a Chinese spy ring it was surreal it was like something out of a spy novel happening in Melbourne with impunity and very very concerning Nick Jo projected an image of success flush with cash fast cars and big plans to expand his auto business in 2015 he joined at the Liberal Party in the East Melbourne seat of Chisholm he was a paid-up member which means he was likely active in his branch and division the seat is currently held by Australia's first Chinese born female MP Gladys Liu in September she faced accusations she was a Manchurian Candidate planted by the Chinese Communist Party the Prime Minister defended her the story generated plenty of smoke but very little fire but something far more sinister had been happening in her electorate we can reveal that prior to his death Liberal Party member Nick Joe claims to have been approached in Melbourne by a suspected Chinese spy ring and offered an extraordinary assignment the young father was promised a seven-figure sum in exchange for him running as a political candidate in federal parliament Nick himself I think was a perfect target for cultivation a guy who was a bit of a high roller in Melbourne living beyond his means someone who was vulnerable to a foreign state intelligence service Cole debating this case with is strong and clinical allegations and evidence of an actual plot to infiltrate our Parliament seems to go much further than anything we've heard to date how important how different how serious is it this isn't just cash in a bag you know given for favors this is a state-sponsored attempt to infiltrate our Parliament using an Australian citizen and basically run them as an agent of foreign influence in our democratic system so this is really significant and Australians should be very very concerned about this sources say the suspected Chinese spy ring that targeted Nick Jiao is under investigation by a zio we can expose the identity of the man who according to Nick Jiao told him to infiltrate our Parliament his name is Brian Chen and our investigation shows he appears to be a busy Chinese businessman who bounces between Melbourne and Asia but when he last passed through Melbourne Airport he was interrogated by Australian authorities and accused of being a spy in Hong Kong we tracked down his office corporate records confirm he's in business with the Chinese military's main weapons company Norinco what does his profile tell us about his likely connection to Chinese military intelligence it just looks like a trail across the sky um from from my point of view Australian intelligence expert Philip Gregory says there are several red flags about Brian Chen's behavior which would have attracted a SEOs attention as an analyst the first thing I'll be doing is targeting this guy for a disruption operation or looking to recruit him it seems Nick Jiao was concerned about Brian Chen too he never followed through on Chen's alleged request to infiltrate our Parliament instead his associates have told us he turned to Australia's National Security Agency Ozio for help was Nick's our working for Asia not gonna go into the details of what I know that would be improper we contacted Brian chin and asked him if he knew Nick Jiao he denied it he also insists he's just a businessman who's been unfairly questioned by Australian authorities but for a businessman Brian Chen's denials are curious for instance he's been seen wearing a Chinese military uniform but he says he simply likes to show off by dressing up in a costume we asked him why he sometimes poses as a journalist at international conferences he says it's because he simply likes to network no one knows why Nick Joe was found dead in the Melbourne motel room eight months ago there is no suggestion Brian Chen is involved but whether it was natural causes suicide or something more sinister his death means he'll never repeat his allegations about the offer to infiltrate our Parliament everyone should be concerned about the way that Nick is our diet and I think we need a full investigation where we turn over every stone we explore every nook and cranny we cast as much light into the shadows and make sure that we have a full and comprehensive understanding of how he died and why he died you're known is being especially hostile to the Chinese Communist Party it's just not you just engaging in a bit of China bashing not at all my bottom line is Australian sovereignty protecting our values our institutions and our people and that's why I'm speaking up it's why our Chinese intelligence Insider is talking to one William a Cheung claims he's aware of multiple Chinese spies operating in Australia right now during a meeting with our research team he reveals his boss in Hong Kong has current dealings with Australia's most infamously accused Chinese government agent Guangzhou mo where is Frank mo right now in Hong Kong in my boss's office Fung mo is in mr. Chung's office right down that's why I'm washing day sins act he is in his office right now the billionaire who's been thrown out of Australia for his links with the Chinese Communist Party is also being investigated for making dubious political donations but one dismisses him as small fry compared to the Chinese spies Australia should be targeting warrants young Morgan hyung hyung Mao is definitely a small potato compared with others I know faith [Music] are you willing to work with the Australian government to tell the government about how Chinese intelligence operates she lost you in the dance well what since I have chosen to stand up here I am absolutely willing to cooperate coming up please come out into the light hasn't it the dangerous consequences are you prepared ever to see your mother your father your back in China ever again oh but train Beijing I think it takes huge reserves of courage is this spy a hero because it's got something that affects future generations a fool in word you could be got at here I am very worried about my safety in Australia at next 60 minutes at 27 1 William lachung is experiencing a taste of what freedom feels like it's a privilege he desperately wants to hold on to not for his own sake but for the future of his wife and two-year-old son what is your hope for your wife for your son for yourself yes I would I love my wife and my family I hope that my child's future life will not be manipulated in any way and that he can live an independent free healthy and positive life but Wong and his family are far from free even as they hire here in Sydney in the wake since he came forward to us he says he's also met with a CEO he's seeking Australia's protection but there are no guarantees he'll get it federal MP Andrew hasty says he deserves our help I think it takes huge reserves of courage to step out into the public square as a former Chinese spy and reveal to the Australian public what you've been up to some Australians may be instinctively hesitant to say well he worked for the dark side why should we support this man well he's come out into the light hasn't he and he's a friend of democracy and I think he deserves our protection and our support should the Australian Government give him a protection visa I'm off the view that anyone who's willing to assist us in defending our sovereignty deserves our protection Wong is living in constant fear of being watched or attacked even inside Australia he says his boss back in Hong Kong knows his missing in action and has already taken steps to persuade him to return young-shin denies all of Wang's allegations and says they're untrue overnight police in China released a statement accusing Wang of being a convicted fraud and wanted fugitive aboard say since I came to Australia in May they have worked on me they're threatening was in a soft way using my family members well-being and safety to negotiate with intelligence expert Philip Gregory says Wong's public defection now places his life and that of his family back in mainland China in grave danger I really feel for the incredible torment that he's now facing and he clearly has an incredible respect for for his family there's no question about that but he sees this what he's doing has been even more important because it's got something that affects future generations condemned to a life under threat Wang says he hopes his revelations will inspire those fighting for freedom of speech and democracy in the face of oppression from Beijing he also wants Australia his potential new home to understand the Chinese Communist Party doesn't respect our sovereignty as it tries to grow its power a worried you could be got hurt here in Australia oh yeah she's I am very worried about my safety in Australia more importantly my family my wife and child they knew nothing about this now they know they are extremely frightened if I am got had my families will be destroyed I don't know what future my child would have hello I'm Liz Hayes thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusives 60 minutes content