The 
woman has engaged in covert or deceptive conduct since 2022 to collect information on the religious group, which is attached to the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and is outlawed in China.
The woman has tasked associates to help her collect information on behalf of, or in collaboration with, China to support their intelligence activities.
The woman is believed to have been tasked by a public security bureau office through an encrypted app, which was found on the woman's phone during a raid of her premises last week.
She received money from Chinese-based financial institutions and was of "substantial means".

The woman cannot be named due to a temporary suppression order, which was granted after her lawyer argued that identifying her could make her a target for reprisal action by people critical of China.
Her lawyer also argued that the woman should be granted bail due to a legal presumption in favour of releasing her, and due to her strong business and commercial ties in the ACT. One of the woman's associates had also offered a $50,000 surety to the court.
But bail was refused by Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker, who agreed with federal prosecutors that the woman could be a flight risk and could interfere with digital evidence or witnesses. The app on the woman's phone could be accessed remotely and evidence could therefore be destroyed or altered during the investigation.
The court also heard suggestions that another person had been recruited to assist the woman in "infiltrating" the Guan Yin Citta organization.
The woman had visited China regularly since she moved to Australia to study in 2007, but her visits had become more frequent and longer in length since she began her foreign interference activities.
The woman's husband, who was believed to be in China, held the role of vice captain in a public security ministry in a Chinese province.
She also visited the consulate in Canberra in the days after her property was raided, where police understand she has a personal contact. This detail was "significant" given the consulate's capacity to provide emergency travel documents at short notice.
If the woman did try to abscond from Australia, there would be a 72-hour delay in them being notified by the country's monitoring system.
There’s considerable consequence if the woman did manage to abscond from Australia, given the absence of any bilateral extradition treaty between Australia and China.
A letter from the Commonwealth Attorney General's department tendered to the court also emphasised the risk that the allegation that the woman was being tasked by China made it more likely that Chinese authorities would refuse any extradition request.
The woman's matter will return to court on Sep 1.
abc.net.au/news/2025-08-0
woman has engaged in covert or deceptive conduct since 2022 to collect information on the religious group, which is attached to the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and is outlawed in China.
The woman has tasked associates to help her collect information on behalf of, or in collaboration with, China to support their intelligence activities.
The woman is believed to have been tasked by a public security bureau office through an encrypted app, which was found on the woman's phone during a raid of her premises last week.
She received money from Chinese-based financial institutions and was of "substantial means".

The woman cannot be named due to a temporary suppression order, which was granted after her lawyer argued that identifying her could make her a target for reprisal action by people critical of China.
Her lawyer also argued that the woman should be granted bail due to a legal presumption in favour of releasing her, and due to her strong business and commercial ties in the ACT. One of the woman's associates had also offered a $50,000 surety to the court.
But bail was refused by Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker, who agreed with federal prosecutors that the woman could be a flight risk and could interfere with digital evidence or witnesses. The app on the woman's phone could be accessed remotely and evidence could therefore be destroyed or altered during the investigation.
The court also heard suggestions that another person had been recruited to assist the woman in "infiltrating" the Guan Yin Citta organization.
The woman had visited China regularly since she moved to Australia to study in 2007, but her visits had become more frequent and longer in length since she began her foreign interference activities.
The woman's husband, who was believed to be in China, held the role of vice captain in a public security ministry in a Chinese province.
She also visited the consulate in Canberra in the days after her property was raided, where police understand she has a personal contact. This detail was "significant" given the consulate's capacity to provide emergency travel documents at short notice.
If the woman did try to abscond from Australia, there would be a 72-hour delay in them being notified by the country's monitoring system.
There’s considerable consequence if the woman did manage to abscond from Australia, given the absence of any bilateral extradition treaty between Australia and China.
A letter from the Commonwealth Attorney General's department tendered to the court also emphasised the risk that the allegation that the woman was being tasked by China made it more likely that Chinese authorities would refuse any extradition request.
The woman's matter will return to court on Sep 1.
abc.net.au/news/2025-08-0Quote
Byron Wan
@Byron_Wan
Aug 2: a woman — a national and an 
permanent resident — accused of covertly collecting information about the Canberra branch of Guan Yin Citta, a Buddhist association, on behalf of a Public Security Bureau was arrested and charged by the AFP under the Counter Foreign
Show more national and an permanent resident — accused of covertly collecting information about the Canberra branch of Guan Yin Citta, a Buddhist association, on behalf of a Public Security Bureau was arrested and charged by the AFP under the Counter Foreign