SYDNEY – China has accused an Australian journalist of sharing state secrets abroad after being detained about six months ago, raising concerns about intimidation of the foreign media and deepening a diplomatic dispute that has frozen bilateral trade.
Cheng Lei, an anchor for the Chinese government’s English-language television news channel, was officially charged on Friday, having previously been detained by local authorities on August 13th. Ms. Cheng’s detention and the evacuation of two other Australian reporters from China weeks later illustrated the dangers journalists may face while working in the country.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said it has repeatedly raised concerns about its situation with senior Chinese officials. China did not detail the allegations Ms. Cheng is facing, including what state secrets she claims were revealed or in which country.
Ms. Cheng was educated at the Australian University of Queensland and worked for CGTN since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile at the time of her detention. Australian embassy officials have visited Ms. Cheng six times since she was detained, most recently on January 27.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Diplomatic relations between Beijing and Canberra have deteriorated since Australia began seeking support from European leaders in mid-April for an investigation into any early missteps that contributed to the coronavirus pandemic. Chinese officials saw Australia’s position as politically motivated.
Tensions rose in July, when Australia decided to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and give the city’s residents a way to stay permanent in response to China’s imposition of a national security law on the semi-autonomous city.
In the same month, Australia updated its travel warning for mainland China, saying Chinese authorities had detained foreigners for alleged “national security danger” and that Australians face the risk of arbitrary detention.
More recently, China and Australia have shifted their clutches over everything from barley tariffs and coming to a tweet by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman of a mediated image of an Australian soldier holding a knife to the neck of an Afghan child.
The timing of China’s detentions and convictions of foreigners has often coincided with disputes with other countries, leading diplomats to believe they are connected.
A few weeks after Ms. Cheng’s arrest, Bill Birtles, the Australian correspondent for Broadcasting Corp. and Michael Smith, based in Shanghai with the Australian Financial Review, were taken out of China following a diplomatic defeat that saw the pair seek refuge in Australian diplomatic missions while officials negotiated their exit.
Two Canadian nationals continue to be detained by Chinese authorities two years after they were detained a few hours apart in two Chinese cities, just nine days after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei Technologies Co. chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou. at the command of the United States … an incident that involved Canada in a wider diplomatic row between Washington and Beijing.
Write to David Winning at [email protected]
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