A Chinese diplomat-turned-whistleblower has warned Australian politicians to pay more attention to China’s infiltration of universities and research institutions, in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry about the national security risks affecting the sector. Chen Yonglin was formerly stationed at the Chinese consulate in Sydney where his job was to spy on overseas Chinese before he defected in 2005. He has since exposed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) infiltration tactics in the West. In his submission, Chen said infiltration into universities is an important part of the CCP’s Australia policies. Chen lists four vehicles the CCP have used to steer influence in the sector. They are the Confucius Institutes (CI), Chinese Student and Scholars Associations (CSSA), brain drain programs like the Thousand Talents Plan and others, and by compromising academic freedom. “China has been very successful in infiltrating NSW [New South Wales] tertiary institutions,” Chen said. Confucius Institutes Chen noted the CCP’s …