China experts and a former Hong Kong MP have weighed in on the recent bomb threat—linked to opponents of performing arts group Shen Yun—that forced the evacuation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese from his Canberra residence on Feb. 24.

Ted Hui Chi‑fung, a former Hong Kong legislator who was granted asylum by Australia in 2025, has pinned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for orchestrating the incident.

“Based on my past experience, including having faced similar persecution, the pattern of this act strongly suggests involvement by Beijing, its proxies, or actors operating with its tacit approval. It reflects a broader pattern of transnational political repression and interference extending into Australia,” Hui told The Epoch Times.

Prior to Shen Yun’s Feb. 25 Australian tour, local presenters received two threatening emails in Chinese, one of which falsely claimed explosives had been placed around the prime minister’s Lodge, warning they would detonate if the shows went ahead.

“Impersonating individuals to provoke division and conflict is a well-known tactic used in the CCP’s disruption and united front operations,” Hui added, referring to the second threatening email, which claimed to be from Chen Pokong, a U.S.-based columnist, political commentator, and YouTuber who played a key role in the pro-democracy movement in China during 1989.

“This fabricated and exaggerated threat has now directly affected the highest levels of the Australian government,” he said.

The Falun Dafa Information Centre estimates the dance company received at least 130 threats or acts of intimidation between 2022-24. Most recently, written threats have targeted world leaders too.

However, the latest situation gained global attention because it would be the first time a top public office holder has been forced to evacuate or take action in response to the threats.

Shen Yun is based in New York and was founded by members of the Falun Gong spiritual practice, which is persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The show highlights 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation prior to the communist takeover, and also, through the medium of classical Chinese dance, depicts the ongoing persecution against Falun Gong.

Former CCP Spy Says Threats Were Inexperienced or Impulsive

Eric, a former CCP intelligence operative for the Ministry of Public Security, concurred with Hui’s view.

“It feels like a typical threat where the operator acted impulsively, or it could be a less experienced newcomer who mishandled things,” Eric said. Eric defected to Australia in 2023.

“There has always been threatening behaviour, but suddenly targeting the Australian prime minister—I’m not sure what they were thinking.

“It might have been an attempt to create an atmosphere where future [Shen Yun] performances are overshadowed by security concerns, making it harder to book venues. Perhaps they were willing to escalate things for that reason.”

Eric also addressed claims Falun Gong practitioners may have staged the incident themselves in a type of marketing stunt.

“Although it may have impact public opinion, it would definitely be investigated and could backfire,” he said. “To be honest, Falun Gong [practitioners] are not that foolish.”

Chinese Academic Says CCP Rewards Brazen Acts By Officials

Yuan Hongbing, a former law professor at Peking University, has no doubt about the CCP’s involvement

“There’s no question about it,” he told The Epoch Times.

Yuan, who had personal interactions with CCP leader Xi Jinping in the 1980s, compared the incident to the similar “wolf warrior”-type threat from the Chinese Consulate General in Osaka against Japanese Prime Minister Sanao Takashi.

In late 2025, the Consul General shared a news article about Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan and commented that her head “must be cut off.”

“These two incidents can be seen as complementary—highlighting the current apocalyptic madness of the CCP’s tyranny, which has now become completely politicised and mafia-like,” said Yuan.

“Under the encouragement of Xi Jinping’s regime, Chinese ‘wolf warrior’ diplomats, such as the Ambassador to France Lu Shaye and the Japanese consul general, when they issue such international terrorist threats they are rewarded and promoted within the CCP system. This is the fundamental reason why the CCP tyranny has issued such terrorist threats against the Australian government’s leadership.”

Call for Australians to Take a Stand

Both Hui and Yuan called for Australian government to adopt tough measures to counteract foreign interference.

“The Australian government must respond firmly and publicly, deploy the necessary resources, and take decisive investigative, enforcement, and monitoring action,” said Hui.

“If authorities fail to act decisively, such conduct will not cease. It will continue and expand, and infiltration activities on Australian soil will only grow more frequent and more brazen.

Yuan argued that Australians should recognise the fundamental threat the CCP poses to their values.

“This threat, stemming from the CCP’s United Front infiltration and terrorism, constitutes a direct challenge to Australia’s core values,” he said.

“Strong legal measures must be taken to impose severe legal sanctions on the CCP’s threats. Only by doing so can Australia ensure its basic national security.”