China’s secret spy 中国的秘密间谍

On a bitterly cold winter morning in China last year, a man who’d spent more than a decade working as a spy for the notorious secret police decided to flee his homeland.
去年中国一个严寒的冬日清晨，一名在臭名昭著的秘密警察手下当了十多年间谍的男子决定逃离祖国。

“I spent most of the time in the airport’s bathroom, worried that secret police would find out my plan,” he recalls.
"他回忆说："我大部分时间都待在机场的卫生间里，担心秘密警察会发现我的计划。

The man – who goes by the name Eric – was no stranger to operating undercover.
这位名叫埃里克的男子对卧底行动并不陌生。

As an agent for the Political Security Protection Bureau, or 1st Bureau – a secret unit of China’s Ministry of Public Security – he’d been involved in missions to surveil, abduct and silence targets around the world since 2008, including in Australia.
作为中国公安部的一个秘密单位--政治安全保卫局（简称一局）的特工，他自 2008 年以来一直参与世界各地的监视、绑架和灭口任务，包括在澳大利亚。

This mission, though – to quit – would be his most dangerous.
不过，这次任务--退出--将是他最危险的一次。

After landing on Australian soil last year, he walked into ASIO headquarters in Canberra and revealed who he was.
去年登陆澳大利亚领土后，他走进堪培拉的澳大利亚安全情报组织总部，揭露了自己的身份。

Now, the 39-year-old is divulging the secrets he’s been guarding for years, at great risk to himself, to expose what he says is one of the most feared parts of China’s intelligence apparatus.
现在，这位 39 岁的老人冒着极大的风险，公开了他多年来守护的秘密，揭露了他所说的中国情报机构中最令人恐惧的部分之一。

“It is the darkest department of the Chinese government,” he says.
"他说："这是中国政府最黑暗的部门。

“The bureau – they’re a bit like the KGB, the Stasi and the Gestapo.”
"调查局有点像克格勃、斯塔西和盖世太保"

After arriving in Australia, Eric also contacted the ABC and began to explain his predicament.
到达澳大利亚后，埃里克也与澳大利亚广播公司取得了联系，并开始解释自己的困境。

His story sounded unbelievable, but he seemed determined.
他的故事听起来匪夷所思，但他似乎下定了决心。

“The Communist Party shaped me into an enemy who is committed to the fight against it,” he says in one message.
"他在一条信息中说："共产党把我塑造成一个致力于与共产党斗争的敌人。

Eric shared hundreds of secret documents, text and voice messages, and bank records that he’d gathered over the years, and after weeks of complex negotiations, he agreed to an interview.
埃里克分享了他多年来收集的数百份秘密文件、短信和语音信息以及银行记录，经过数周复杂的谈判，他同意接受采访。

It is the first time anyone from the secret police has spoken publicly.
这是秘密警察中首次有人公开发言。

Sitting in an empty warehouse with a Simpsons T-shirt just visible under his green jacket, Eric is nervous, but he says:
埃里克坐在一间空荡荡的仓库里，绿色夹克下的辛普森一家 T 恤衫若隐若现，他很紧张，但他说："我不紧张：

“I believe the public has the right to know this secret world.”
"我相信公众有权了解这个秘密世界"

The recruitment 招聘

Eric says he was always going to end up turning his back on China.
埃里克说，他最终总是要背弃中国的。

As a 22-year-old university student obsessed with Western democracy, he says he joined the US-founded China Social Democratic Party in 2007.
他说，作为一名痴迷于西方民主的 22 岁大学生，他于 2007 年加入了由美国创立的中国社会民主党。

He was unaware he was under police surveillance.
他并不知道自己处于警方的监视之下。

After sharing information about the party’s annual meeting on social media, police came knocking at his door.
在社交媒体上分享了该党年会的信息后，警察敲响了他的家门。

“They told me, ‘Get dressed and follow us. You know what you’ve done’,” Eric says.
"他们告诉我，'穿上衣服，跟着我们走。你知道你做了什么'，"埃里克说。

He was taken from his home, interrogated over several days in a small room inside a local police station, and forced to sign a document confessing to his ‘crime’ of opposing the Chinese government.
他被从家中带走，在当地警察局的一个小房间里接受了数天的审讯，并被迫签署了一份文件，承认自己反对中国政府的 "罪行"。

Threatened with jail time, he was offered a second chance.
在面临牢狱之灾的威胁下，他获得了第二次机会。

That was the moment his world as he knew it ended, and his double life as a reluctant spy for China’s covert system of repression began.
就在那一刻，他所熟悉的世界结束了，而他作为中国秘密镇压系统的一名不情愿的间谍的双重生活开始了。

For 15 years, Eric would be assigned to a series of secret police handlers who directed him to infiltrate pro-democracy organisations and hunt down dissidents that were now Chinese government targets.
在长达 15 年的时间里，埃里克被指派给一系列秘密警察，这些秘密警察指使他潜入民主组织，追捕现在已成为中国政府目标的持不同政见者。

As a dissident himself, Eric had the perfect cover story. In 2016 he was invited to a gathering of activists in India’s Dharamshala, home of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
作为一名持不同政见者，埃里克有一个完美的封面故事。2016年，他应邀参加了在西藏流亡政府所在地印度达兰萨拉举行的一次活动家聚会。

There, he met with the Dalai Lama.
在那里，他会见了达赖喇嘛。

Eric filed a report to his handler detailing the exiled government’s confidential future China policy. It was well received.
埃里克向他的上司提交了一份报告，详细阐述了流亡政府未来对华政策的机密。这份报告很受欢迎。

The secret police now trusted him to work internationally, and he was rewarded with higher stakes missions to help ensnare high-profile opponents living abroad.
现在，秘密警察信任他，让他在国际范围内开展工作，而他也得到了更高风险的任务奖励，帮助抓捕居住在国外的高知名度对手。

One of them was right here in Australia.
其中一个就在澳大利亚。

The YouTuber 优酷用户

In 2018, Eric was ordered to hunt down Edwin Yin, a YouTuber who has been deeply critical of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
2018 年，埃里克奉命追捕对中国国家主席习近平持严厉批评态度的优酷用户 Edwin Yin。

Edwin wrote a book alleging Xi has four illegitimate sons, and also published a video ridiculing his daughter.
埃德温写了一本书，指控习近平有四个私生子，还发布了一段讥讽习近平女儿的视频。

He fled China for Australia in 2018.
2018 年，他逃离中国前往澳大利亚。

Eric’s handlers communicated with him via encrypted social messaging apps including Potato Chat and Ant Messager.
埃里克的上线通过加密的社交信息应用程序（包括 Potato Chat 和 Ant Messager）与他联系。

Four Corners is not naming Eric’s handlers to protect his safety.
为了保护埃里克的安全，"四角 "没有透露他的驯兽师姓名。

When Four Corners met with Edwin to share what it had found, he was living in a campervan, moving from place to place.
当 "四角 "组织与埃德温见面分享他们的发现时，他正住在一辆露营车里，从一个地方搬到另一个地方。

He already suspected he had been under surveillance by the Chinese state and didn’t feel safe.
他已经怀疑自己受到了中国政府的监视，感到不安全。

“In front of our home, there were different cars, different Chinese faces,” he says.
"他说："在我们家门口，有不同的汽车，不同的中国面孔。

Edwin tells Four Corners about the extraordinary lengths he believes the Chinese intelligence services have been going to in order to ensnare him.
埃德温向《Four Corners》讲述了他认为中国情报部门为陷害他而不惜一切代价的故事。

In 2021, he suffered a broken nose after being assaulted in a Melbourne street by two men he suspects were Chinese agents. A third man who was with them filmed the attack.
2021 年，他在墨尔本街头遭到两名男子的袭击，鼻子被打断，他怀疑这两名男子是中国特工。与他们在一起的第三名男子拍摄了袭击过程。

The year before, his then partner Michelle, an Australian citizen, travelled to China after being told her father was gravely ill.
前一年，他当时的伴侣米歇尔（澳大利亚公民）在得知父亲病重后前往中国。
When she arrived, she realised her parents had been told to lie, and she was forced to meet with intelligence officers who questioned her about Edwin.
当她到达时，她意识到她的父母被告知要撒谎，她被迫与情报人员见面，他们向她询问埃德温的情况。

“Where he lives, what did he do … his financial information, what kind of people he met,” she says.
"她说："他住在哪里，他做了什么......他的财务信息，他遇到了什么样的人。

Michelle doesn’t want to be identified.
米歇尔不想暴露身份。

When she travelled to China, she was pregnant, and says the officers started pressuring her to abort the baby. She believes they thought it would give Edwin a pathway to Australian citizenship.
当她前往中国时，她已经怀有身孕，她说那些官员开始向她施压，让她把孩子打掉。她认为他们认为这样做可以让埃德温获得澳大利亚公民身份。

While Edwin claims he is a dissident on the run, China says it is tracking him down because he is a criminal. He was charged with fraud in China, and Four Corners has spoken to a man who says he is one of his victims.
虽然埃德温声称自己是一名在逃的持不同政见者，但中国方面却表示正在追查他，因为他是一名罪犯。他在中国被指控犯有诈骗罪，《四角》杂志采访了一名自称是他的受害者之一的男子。

But Edwin says he’s being framed by the Chinese government.
但埃德温说他是被中国政府陷害的。

The Australian Federal Police is aware of Edwin’s case.
澳大利亚联邦警察局了解埃德温的案件。

Eric says he began collecting intelligence on Edwin but didn’t pursue him further. He told his handler he felt Edwin was “too cunning” and was unlikely to travel overseas.
埃里克说，他开始收集有关埃德温的情报，但没有继续追查下去。他告诉他的上线，他觉得埃德温 "太狡猾"，不太可能出国。

He says Edwin’s case shows the growth of the Chinese Communist Party’s global reach.
他说，埃德温的案例显示了中国共产党在全球影响力的增长。

“So, their overseas operations have become relatively more active.”
"因此，他们的海外业务变得相对更加活跃"。

Following Eric’s revelations, Four Corners learned of an AFP raid in Sydney last year that disrupted a Chinese intelligence agency undertaking surveillance on people.
继埃里克的揭露之后，《四角》杂志了解到，去年澳大利亚联邦警察在悉尼的一次突袭行动破坏了中国情报机构对民众的监视。

Edwin’s name was one of the names listed on the AFP search warrant as a victim of the spying operation.
埃德温是法新社搜查令上列出的间谍活动受害者之一。

The cartoonist 漫画家

Before Eric was tasked with spying on Edwin, he worked for the Chinese police in operations across South-East Asia.
在埃里克受命监视埃德温之前，他曾为中国警方在东南亚各地执行任务。

In 2016, he was based in Cambodia and ordered to target political cartoonist Wang Liming, also known as Rebel Pepper.
2016 年，他常驻柬埔寨，奉命针对政治漫画家王黎明（又名 "叛逆辣椒"）。

Rebel Pepper’s satirical drawings take aim at China’s human rights record and its political elite, including President Xi Jinping.
Rebel Pepper 的讽刺画针对的是中国的人权记录和包括国家主席习近平在内的政治精英。

His work variously depicts Xi as a dumpling, a tyrant, and Winnie the Pooh – and the Chinese Communist Party as a tentacled monster.
他的作品将习近平描绘成饺子、暴君和小熊维尼，将中国共产党描绘成长着触须的怪物。

Eric was given an apartment in Phnom Penh and a cover story, working as a planning supervisor for the Prince Real Estate Group.
埃里克在金边租到了一套公寓，并被安排在王子房地产集团担任规划主管。

The company is a subsidiary of multi-billion-dollar conglomerate, the Prince Holding Group, which has connections to Cambodia’s leadership.
该公司是价值数十亿美元的企业集团 Prince Holding Group 的子公司，而 Prince Holding Group 与柬埔寨领导层有着千丝万缕的联系。

Cambodia and Laos have close ties with the Chinese government and there have been allegations in the past that it can operate freely in both countries.
柬埔寨和老挝与中国政府关系密切，过去曾有指控称中国可以在这两个国家自由开展业务。

At the time, Rebel Pepper was living in Japan, so Eric was ordered to lure him to Cambodia where he could be arrested by and returned to China to face trial.
当时，叛徒佩珀住在日本，因此埃里克奉命将他引诱到柬埔寨，在那里将其逮捕并送回中国接受审判。

“I really like Wang as a cartoonist. I didn’t want him to be arrested, but there was little space for me to offer help,” Eric says.
"我非常喜欢作为漫画家的王。我不希望他被捕，但我能提供帮助的空间很小，"埃里克说。

High-ranking secret police officials travelled from Beijing to a private clubhouse in Phnom Penh to discuss the entrapment with him.
秘密警察高级官员从北京赶到金边的一家私人会所，与他讨论诱捕问题。

Eric contacted Rebel Pepper using his cover at Prince Real Estate, asking him to design a logo for them.
埃里克利用自己在 Prince Real Estate 的掩护联系了 Rebel Pepper，请他为他们设计一个徽标。

Every message he sent was first approved by his handler.
他发送的每一条信息都要先经过他的上司批准。

In a voice message, Eric’s handler told him to exploit Rebel Pepper’s need for money.
在一条语音信息中，埃里克的上线让他利用叛逆者佩珀对金钱的需求。

Rebel Pepper responded a few days later.
Rebel Pepper 几天后做出了回应。

Rebel Pepper’s designs were used by Prince Real Estate at their events, and Eric arranged for senior managers to pose with a giant inflatable version of one of them.
王子房地产公司在其活动中使用了 Rebel Pepper 的设计，埃里克还安排高级经理们与其中一个巨型充气版合影留念。

Secret police then organised a job interview for Rebel Pepper in Cambodia, but his wife suspected it was a trap and dissuaded him from going.
随后，秘密警察为 Rebel Pepper 在柬埔寨组织了一次工作面试，但他的妻子怀疑这是个陷阱，劝阻他不要去。

Four Corners met with Rebel Pepper – who now lives in the US – and told him he had been a target of the secret police. He’s shocked at the findings.
四角》杂志采访了现居美国的反叛者佩珀，告诉他自己曾是秘密警察的目标。他对调查结果感到震惊。

“It freaks me out. If they spent that much effort to arrest me, they would severely penalise me,” he says.
他说："这把我吓坏了。他说："如果他们花那么大力气逮捕我，他们会严厉惩罚我的。

A spokesperson for the Prince Holding Group said it has no affiliations with any part of the Chinese government and holds itself to the highest ethical standards.
王子控股集团的发言人表示，该集团与中国政府的任何部门都没有关联，并坚持最高的道德标准。

“We do not participate in or condone any actions that violate human rights or the laws of any jurisdiction,” they said.
"他们说："我们不会参与或纵容任何侵犯人权或违反任何司法管辖区法律的行为。

The activist 活动家

In 2018, Eric was sent to Thailand to target another dissident.
2018 年，埃里克被派往泰国针对另一名持不同政见者。

This time, they would end up dead.
这一次，他们最终会死。

Eric was ordered to befriend Hua Yong, an exiled Chinese artist and activist hiding in Bangkok who had long been an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party.
埃里克奉命与华勇交好，华勇是一位流亡海外的中国艺术家和活动家，藏身曼谷，长期以来一直直言不讳地批评中国共产党。

In 2012, Hua had staged a protest commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre by punching himself in the face.
2012 年，华国锋在纪念天安门广场大屠杀的抗议活动中自残一拳。

Hua also documented Beijing’s mass evictions of migrant workers in 2017.
华还记录了 2017 年北京大规模驱逐农民工的事件。

In a voice recording in April 2020, Eric’s handler stressed that he was a high priority.
在 2020 年 4 月的一段录音中，埃里克的管理者强调，他是一个重中之重。

Eric was given the cover story as a business planning manager at a hotel group named White Horse.
埃里克的封面故事是一家名为白马的酒店集团的业务规划经理。

Over drinks, Eric and Hua bonded over their desire to overthrow the Chinese Communist Party and discussed setting up a pro-democracy group overseas. Eric reported this back to his handlers and they came up with a plan.
在酒桌上，埃里克和华因推翻中国共产党的愿望而结识，并讨论了在海外建立一个民主团体的问题。埃里克向他的上司汇报了这一情况，他们制定了一个计划。

Eric would form a fake anti-CCP militia called “V Brigade”, to further build Hua’s trust.
埃里克将组建一支名为 "V 旅 "的假反中共民兵组织，以进一步建立华的信任。

In a video posted online, Eric dressed up as a militia leader and delivered a speech urging Chinese citizens to prepare for armed resistance against the regime.
在网上发布的一段视频中，埃里克装扮成民兵领袖，发表演讲，敦促中国公民做好武装反抗政权的准备。

It was a success: Hua promoted the V Brigade video on his Twitter and YouTube accounts, and messaged Eric: “I just watched the video … I can feel my blood boiling”.
这是一次成功：Hua 在他的 Twitter 和 YouTube 账户上宣传了 V Brigade 的视频，并给 Eric 发去信息："我刚看了视频......我能感觉到我的血液在沸腾"。

Eric says the secret police offer a reward system for the agent who assists with capturing a high-profile target, and a bounty of 100,000 yuan (around $20,000) was put on Hua.
埃里克说，秘密警察对协助抓获重要目标的特工实行悬赏制度，华被悬赏 10 万元人民币（约 2 万美元）。

In April 2021, the plan almost faltered when Hua was granted a temporary protection visa by Canada, but he remained in close contact with Eric and invited him into his core group of activists.
2021 年 4 月，当华获得加拿大的临时保护签证时，这一计划差点失败，但他仍与埃里克保持密切联系，并邀请他加入自己的核心活动小组。

A few months later, Hua moved to Vancouver and Eric filed a comprehensive intelligence report at the request of his handler, including Hua’s phone number, address, where he went and who he met.
几个月后，华搬到了温哥华，埃里克应上司的要求提交了一份全面的情报报告，其中包括华的电话号码、住址、去向和会面对象。

Eric was praised for his work and given a financial bonus.
埃里克的工作得到了表扬，并获得了奖金。

According to Hua’s friends in Canada, he had settled there and was living a happy new life.
据 Hua 在加拿大的朋友说，他已经在那里定居，过着幸福的新生活。

But in November 2022 – more than a year-and-a-half after he arrived – Hua was found dead. He died while kayaking on a cold autumn night.
但在 2022 年 11 月，也就是他抵达一年半多之后，华被发现已经死亡。他是在一个寒冷的秋夜划皮艇时死亡的。

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police concluded Hua’s death was not suspicious.
加拿大皇家骑警认为，华的死因并不可疑。

Eric says he has his doubts about Hua’s death.
埃里克说他对华的死有怀疑。

“My first reaction was that maybe he’d been killed, but in fact, I couldn’t tell whether his death was just an accident or a murder, because I wasn’t part of it.”
"我的第一反应是他可能被杀了 但事实上，我无法判断他的死是意外还是谋杀 因为我没有参与其中"

Asked if he feels any guilt, Eric says he had no choice but to carry out his work.
当被问及是否感到内疚时，埃里克说他别无选择，只能开展工作。

“I’m an idealist, but I’m also pragmatic. I am aware of the outcome one might face in China if you refuse to work for the secret police.”
"我是一个理想主义者，但我也很务实。我知道在中国，如果你拒绝为秘密警察工作，你可能会面临什么样的结果"。

The escape 逃脱

Eric says in the early days, he tried to flee the secret police on several occasions.
埃里克说，在早期，他曾多次试图逃离秘密警察。

In 2011, without telling his handler, he travelled to Hong Kong and declared who he was working for at the US consulate.
2011 年，他瞒着自己的上司前往香港，并在美国领事馆申报了自己的工作单位。

American officials took him seriously, he says, but ultimately, he never escaped.
他说，美国官员认真对待了他，但他最终还是没能逃脱。

Even as Eric worked for the secret police, he says he tried to subtly undermine their work.
埃里克说，即使在为秘密警察工作时，他也试图巧妙地破坏他们的工作。

Once, in 2021, while he was still in Thailand, his handler asked him to target a Chinese military veteran living in Myanmar.
2021 年，当他还在泰国时，有一次，他的上司让他把目标对准一名居住在缅甸的中国退伍军人。

Eric says he tried to help the veteran slip the net by blaming the pandemic, telling the handler he’d contacted him but Covid meant it would be hard to meet.
埃里克说，他试图通过指责大流行病来帮助这位退伍军人漏网，他告诉对方他已经联系过他，但 Covid 意味着很难见面。

The handler responded with an angry voice message.
处理人回复了一条愤怒的语音信息。

Eventually it was one of Eric’s cover stories that brought his time as a spy to an end.
最终，埃里克的一个卧底故事结束了他的间谍生涯。

The V Brigade videos sparked an inquiry by security officials in Beijing who didn’t know the militia was a secret police trap.
V 大队的视频引发了北京安全官员的调查，他们不知道民兵是秘密警察的圈套。

Eric’s handler told him he was facing arrest and ordered him to return to China while his handler tried to smooth it over.
埃里克的上司告诉他，他将面临逮捕，并命令他返回中国，而他的上司则试图平息此事。

Eric knew his time had run out. He fled, flipping a coin to decide between Australia and New Zealand.
埃里克知道自己时日无多。他掷硬币决定在澳大利亚和新西兰之间选择其一，然后逃之夭夭。

His handlers tried to reach him after he arrived in Australia.
在他抵达澳大利亚后，他的上司曾试图联系他。

“I told them that it was impossible to meet me,” Eric says.
"我告诉他们不可能见到我，"埃里克说。

“I suggested them and their families leaving China because there could be a huge fallout as a result of my escape … I wished that they take care of themselves.”
"我建议他们和他们的家人离开中国，因为我的出逃可能会造成巨大的影响......我希望他们照顾好自己"。

Now Eric is going public, he says he will be a target of his former masters, and secret agents may now be sent to harm him.
现在埃里克要公开自己的身份，他说自己将成为前主人的目标，现在可能会派特工来伤害他。

“When they deal with a target like me, they may be more patient … and wait for an appropriate time to act,” he says with a worried but firm tone.
"当他们面对像我这样的目标时，他们可能会更有耐心......等待适当的时机采取行动，"他带着担忧但语气坚定地说。

“They may mobilise some agents on the ground or send people to Australia to take measures against me.”
"他们可能会在当地调动一些特工或派人到澳大利亚对我采取措施"。

An Australian Government spokesperson said defending against malicious foreign interference was “a top priority”.
澳大利亚政府发言人表示，抵御外国恶意干扰是 "重中之重"。

The Chinese embassy in Canberra and the foreign affairs ministry in Beijing did not respond to a request for comment.
中国驻堪培拉大使馆和北京外交部没有回应置评请求。

Eric says working undercover has deeply affected him.
埃里克说，卧底工作对他影响很深。

“I’m still sentimental, but I can also be cruel in some ways.”
"我仍然多愁善感，但在某些方面我也很残忍"

There is only one way he says he’ll ever feel safe.
他说只有一种方法能让他感到安全。

“For all those who oppose the Chinese Communist Party and Xi Jinping, the day that we can feel truly safe is the day the CCP falls.”
"对于所有反对中国共产党和习近平的人来说，中国共产党垮台之日，才是我们真正感到安全之时"。

Watch the Four Corners documentary, Ruthless Pursuit, tonight from 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
观看今晚 8:30pm 在 ABC TV 和 ABC iview 上播出的纪录片《四角》（Four Corners）《无情追捕》（Ruthless Pursuit）。

Be the first to hear about our next big investigation: subscribe to the newsletter and follow us on Facebook.
第一时间了解我们的下一次大型调查：订阅新闻通讯并在 Facebook 上关注我们。

Contact Four Corners here.
请点击此处联系 Four Corners。

Credits 荣誉

Story by: Echo Hui, Elise Potaka and Dylan Welch
故事作者：Echo Hui、Elise Potaka 和 Dylan WelchEcho Hui、Elise Potaka 和 Dylan Welch

Photos: Keana Naughton and Ryan Sheridan
照片基娜-诺顿（Keana Naughton）和瑞安-谢里丹（Ryan Sheridan

Illustrations: Rebel Pepper
插图Rebel Pepper

Editing and production: Kate Sullivan
编辑与制作凯特-沙利文

A Four Corners and ABC Investigations production
四角》和《ABC 调查》制作