Lei Zhao, 38, appeared in the ACT Supreme Court this week after he was twice denied bail in the territory's lower court.

Zhao denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty.

He said there was a change in circumstances that warranted bail, and offered his wife's McKellar house, worth about $160,000, in security.

He also argued he had already surrendered his Australian passport, and bail reporting conditions would ensure he didn't travel far.

Zhao said he was unlikely to leave behind his wife and two children.

"This is generally a powerful point but is somewhat lessened in this case by the evidence that when his wife was away, the applicant invited a sex worker to reside at his home, which she did," Justice Michael Elkaim said in a decision published on Thursday.

Justice Elkaim noted the man had allegedly said on an intercepted phone call that if he was caught he intended to flee to China.

The surety of the house was unreliable, Justice Elkaim said, because more money was coming from the account than was going in, and police were attempting to restrain any equity in the house.

"In my view the nature of the offences, the applicant's close ties to China, his history of frequent travel to China, his lack of financial connection to Australia and his statements about his intentions all combine to make the risk of flight very real."