Oz Defence Minister leaves laptop in Hong Kong to evade Chinese spies on visit

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Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith has taken extraordinary precautions to counter Chinese espionage during his Beijing visit.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, Smith and his associates left their cell phones and laptops in Hong Kong before proceeding to Beijing, after hearing that such devices were compromised during previous ministerial visits.

His staff, including media advisers, have been given new cell phones, with different numbers, for the trip. The anti-espionage precautions, arranged by Australia's Defence Department, are rare for an Australian ministerial visit.

"We all know China, that's standard advice. We know ministers are targets,'' a source who has arranged similar visits previously said.

''They have the capability and intent,'' he said referring to the long and growing list of allegations about Chinese electronic espionage.

The source said all electronic communication involving China could be potentially intercepted and it would be 'naive' to think that leaving devices outside the country would cure the problem.

Smith is seeking to allay the concerns of Australia's dominant trading partner about deepening defence ties with the United States, which Chinese leaders describe as an outdated 'Cold War alliance'.

Australia-China defence ties have significantly improved since the 2009 defence white paper was seen by Beijing as encouraging a regional arms build-up.