Chinese media levels Australian spy claim

China's state media has claimed Australia is ramping up spying efforts against Beijing as diplomatic ties come under heavy pressure.

The Chinese Communist Party-run Global Times tabloid accuses Australia of waging an intensifying espionage offensive through sending spies to China.

It also claims Australia is instigating defections, spying on Chinese students and feeding "fake news" to the media to hype up theories about Chinese spying.

The story, which is based on an anonymous source from a Chinese law-enforcement agency, says Australia tried to install wire taps in the Chinese embassy in Canberra.

It comes days after an obscure NSW upper house MP's office was raided by ASIO and federal police over allegations Chinese agents had infiltrated his office.

The Global Times published photos of "spying materials" including a compass, a USB flash disk, a notebook, a mask, gloves and a map of Shanghai, said to have been seized from arrested Australian agents.

The state-owned newspaper warned Chinese agencies would take a harder line on Australian espionage operations.

- AAP