澳洲通過反外國干預法,或使中澳關係更加複雜化
SYDNEY, Australia — Australia approved sweeping national security legislation on Thursday that bans foreign interference in politics, stiffens the punishment for leaking classified information and makes it a crime to damage Australia’s economic relations with another country.
Attorney General Christian Porter told Parliament that the new laws represented the most significant counterintelligence overhaul since the 1970s.
司法部長克里斯蒂安·波特(Christian Porter)對議會說，新法律代表着20世紀70年代以來最重大的反間諜法改革。“The practices of modern espionage are now being encountered in so many Western democracies around the globe,” Mr. Porter said.
“全球許多西方民主國家現在都遇到了實際的現代間諜活動，”波特說。
“To counter this threat,” he continued, “Australia must have a robust, modern legislative framework to ensure our law enforcement and national security agencies are sufficiently empowered to investigate and disrupt malicious foreign interference.”
他接下來說，“爲了應對這一威脅，澳大利亞必須有一個健全的、現代的立法框架，以確保我們的執法機構和國家安全機構有足夠的權力去調查和阻止惡意的外國干涉。”The new laws are similar to but more far-reaching than those passed in Britain and the United States after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They prioritize an approach favored by security officials and give great discretion to the Australian attorney general, with limited checks and balances.
這些新法律與2001年9月11日的恐怖襲擊之後英國和美國通過的法律類似，但影響更深遠。法律優先考慮了安全官員們喜歡的做法，並賦予澳大利亞司法部長很大的自行決定權，但只提供了有限的制約與平衡。Though government officials have said they are not aimed at any country, the laws have passed at a moment when Australia is especially anxious about Chinese power. They could further complicate Australia’s relationship with Beijing, which has treated the laws as an insult — especially since China is Australia’s largest trading partner.
儘管政府官員表示，這些法律並不針對任何國家，但法律是在澳大利亞對中國的影響力感到特別焦慮的時刻通過的。法律可能會使澳大利亞與中國的關係進一步複雜化。中國一直將這項立法視爲一種侮辱，尤其是因爲中國是澳大利亞的最大貿易伙伴。The extensive legislation adds 38 new crimes to the record, including stealing trade secrets on behalf of a foreign government, and broaden the definitions of existing crimes like espionage.
這項涉及廣泛的立法正式增加了38項新罪行，包括替外國政府竊取商業機密，同時擴大了間諜活動等現有罪行的定義。The new laws do not ban foreign political donations (a separate law is being drafted for that), but they do require that foreign lobbyists register on a public list, similar to the way it works in the United States.
新法律並不禁止外國政治捐款（正在起草的另一項單獨立法是針對這個問題的），但它們確實要求外國遊說者在一個公開的名單上註冊，這類似於美國的做法。They also make it illegal to engage in any covert activity on behalf of a foreign government that aims to influence the process of Australian politics — including activities typically protected in a democracy, like organizing a rally.
新法律還規定，代表外國政府參與任何旨在影響澳大利亞政治進程的祕密活動都是非法的，包括那些通常在民主國家受到保護的活動，比如組織集會。Punishments for foreign interference crimes range from 10 to 20 years in prison.
對外國干涉罪的刑事處罰是最低10年、最高20年的監禁。Some security experts argue the laws are overdue, and necessary for an age when Russian hackers can undermine American democracy without going near a voting booth, and when China’s mingling of economic and political interests is redefining geopolitics.
一些安全專家認爲，早就該通過這些法律，它們在這個時代必不可少，現在，俄羅斯黑客可以在不接近投票站的情況下破壞美國的民主，而中國把經濟利益和政治利益融合起來的做法也在重新定義地緣政治。“It’s a big deal,” said Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “It modernizes our intelligence laws at a time when the government’s saying that the spying threat is extremely high.”
“這是一件大事，”澳大利亞戰略政策研究所(Australian Strategic Policy Institute)執行主任彼得?詹寧斯(Peter Jennings)說。“在政府聲稱間諜威脅極高的時候，立法將我們的情報法規現代化了。”But the laws have met with opposition since they were proposed six months ago.
但這些法律自從六個月前提出以來就一直遭到反對。The Chinese government has responded coolly, canceling visas for Australian business leaders and suggesting that the country’s politicians are motivated by xenophobia and racism.
中國政府已做出冷淡反應，取消了澳大利亞商界領袖的簽證，並暗示，澳大利亞政客這樣做的動機是仇外和種族主義。Lu Kang, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said in response to a question this week about the new Australian laws that China does not interfere in other countries’ affairs.
中國外交部發言人陸慷本週在回答有關澳大利亞新法律的問題時說，中國不干涉他國內政。“We hope that all countries could cast off Cold War mind-set and strengthen exchanges and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment,” he said.
“希望各國都能摒棄冷戰思維，在相互尊重、平等相待的基礎上，更好推進相互交流和合作，”陸慷說。Some experts worry that Australia is neglecting or even undermining traditional diplomacy by focusing on covert activity that security officials tend to hint at but do not fully explain.
一些專家擔心，澳大利亞正在忽視甚至削弱傳統的外交手段，將重點放在了安全官員往往只暗示、但並不完全解釋的祕密活動上。“No compelling evidence has been offered to show why these laws are really needed,” said Hugh White, a prominent defense strategist. “We have been asked to take that on trust, but there is a risk that we are jumping at shadows.”
“沒有人提供過令人信服的證據，解釋爲什麼真正需要這些法律，”著名的國防策略師休·懷特(Hugh White)說。“我們被要求聽信這一點，但這裏的風險是，我們在捕風捉影。”Human rights groups, scholars and journalists have been arguing for months that too much is being given up out of fear. They said first drafts of the laws went too far in restricting democratic rights — making it a crime, for example, to receive something marked “classified” even if its disclosure served the public interest.
幾個月來，人權組織、學者和記者一直在爭辯新法案，他們認爲，法案出於恐懼放棄了太多的東西。他們說，最初的法律草案在限制民主權利方面做得太過火了——比如，接受標有“機密”的信息就是犯罪，即使這些信息的公開符合公共利益。Some even said the laws threatened to make Australia more like the authoritarian regimes that it aims to resist.
一些人甚至說，這些法律有讓澳大利亞變得更像法律旨在抵制的威權政府的危險。Amendments to the laws sought to address some of those concerns.
間諜法修正案尋求解決一些上述擔憂。The secrecy offenses have been narrowed. Journalists accused of violating the restrictions on sharing government information can also now claim a “public interest” defense, arguing that the information they disclose has value for democracy.
有關保密信息的犯罪定義已被縮小。因公佈政府信息而被指控違反保密法的記者，現在也能用“公共利益”的說法爲自己辯護，他們可以爭辯說，信息的披露對民主有利。Beyond journalists and secrecy, though, the laws have few exceptions.
但除了記者和保密法規外，新法律幾乎沒有考慮其他的例外。Churches, charities and human rights groups with international interests or funding may still need to be listed on the public register for foreign lobbyists, one of the core tenets of the laws, which aim to make foreign influence on Australian politics more transparent.
與國際利益有關、或有國際資金的教堂、慈善機構和人權組織仍可能需要在外國遊說者的公開登記部上註冊，這是旨在讓外國對澳大利亞政治的影響更加透明的新法律的核心原則之一。David Brophy, a senior lecturer in modern Chinese history at the University of Sydney, said he was worried about the threat to transnational activism.
悉尼大學(University of Sydney)中國現代史高級講師戴維·布羅菲(David Brophy)說，他擔心新法律會威脅跨國活動人士。“Much of the discussion around the laws has centered on the need to defend our democracy against Chinese influence,” he said. “But ironically, someone collaborating with democracy activists in China to organize rallies in Australia could find themselves facing prosecution for illegal foreign interference.”
“有關這些法律的討論大都集中在保護我們的民主制度不受中國影響這個需求上，”他說。“但具有諷刺意味的是，如果有人與中國的民主活動人士合作，在澳大利亞組織集會的話，他們可能會發現自己因外國干涉罪而受到起訴。”Elaine Pearson, Australia director at Human Rights Watch, said the laws also still included severe punishments for sharing classified information, including several years in prison, which “will have a chilling effect on disclosures.”
人權觀察組織(Human Rights Watch)的澳大利亞負責人伊萊恩·皮爾森(Elaine Pearson)說，這些法律還包括對分享機密信息行爲的嚴厲懲罰，包括數年的監禁，這“將對信息披露產生寒蟬效應”。“The problem remains that the definition of national security is overly broad,” she said, “and includes the political, military and economic interests with other countries.”
“現有的問題是，國家安全的定義過於寬泛，”她說，“把與他國有關的政治、軍事和經濟利益都包括了進來。”The next challenge for Australia will be enforcement. The new laws contain a “notice regime” that allows the attorney general to unilaterally name individuals as foreign agents without due process.
澳大利亞面臨的下一個挑戰將是新法律的執法。新法律包含一個“通知規則”，允許司法部長在不採取正當程序的情況下單方面地把某人列爲外國代理人。That means Mr. Porter is likely to face pressure to add several wealthy Chinese-born businessmen whose political donations started the Australian debate about Chinese influence last year.
這意味着波特可能面臨着把幾個富有的、在中國出生的商人列上名單的壓力，這些商人的政治捐款開啓了去年澳大利亞就中國影響問題的辯論。Many of them, including Chau Chak Wing, an Australian citizen and well-known political donor, have denied links to the Communist Party of China.
他們中的許多人，包括澳大利亞公民、有名的政治捐款者周澤榮(Chau Chak Wing)在內，都否認自己與中國共產黨有關係。Will the attorney general add them anyway?
司法部長仍會把他們列入名單嗎?“The first prosecutions under the new anti-interference laws are now keenly anticipated,” said Clive Hamilton, the author of a recent book about Chinese interference, “Silent Invasion.” “I expect we will all be surprised at what the authorities reveal.”
“現在備受期待的是用新的反干涉法提起的首批訴訟，”克萊夫·漢密爾頓(Clive Hamilton)說，他是最近出版的關於中國干涉的書《無聲的侵略》(Silent Invasion)的作者。“我預計，當局公佈的消息將會讓我們所有的人吃驚。”Speaking from Germany, one of several countries he has visited to discuss Chinese interference, Mr. Hamilton added: “Australia is now leading the world in measures to respond to foreign interference in democratic processes, and our response is being watched closely by other nations.”
漢密爾頓說此番話時人在德國，他爲討論中國干涉問題訪問了包括德國在內的一些國家，他補充說，“澳大利亞在應對外國干預民主進程上目前處於世界領先地位，我們的反應正受到其他國家的密切關注。”But Stephen FitzGerald, Australia’s first ambassador to China, said that the Australian government may not yet realize the complexity of what it has taken on.
但澳大利亞的首任駐華大使斯蒂芬·菲茨傑拉德(Stephen FitzGerald)說，澳大利亞政府可能尚未意識到自己正在採取的措施的複雜性。“I think it is going to be tricky,” he said. Policing foreign influence is always complicated, he said, but “we don’t have a bill of rights in Australia. Governments have consistently rejected the idea, saying we have enough checks and balances in the system.”
“我認爲這將會很微妙，”他說。對外國影響進行監管永遠是複雜的事情，他說，但“澳大利亞沒有權利法案。各屆政府一直拒絕考慮權利法案，他們說，我們的體制中有足夠的制約與平衡。”Australians may soon see, he said, whether those governments were right.
澳大利亞人可能很快會知道那些政府正確與否，他說。
