Cheng Lei
China has officially arrested an Australian citizen who was previously a news anchor for Chinese state television, escalating a case that contributed to tensions between Beijing and Canberra.
Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian who most recently worked for state broadcaster CGTN, was officially arrested in China on February 5 after six months in detention, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne’s office said on Monday. Chinese authorities say Cheng has been “arrested on suspicion of illegally providing state secrets abroad.” statement said.
China said in September that Cheng was “suspected of carrying out criminal activities that endanger China’s national security “, among the worst accusations ever made against a foreign journalist based in the country.
She was detained in mid-August on the basis of a provision allowing her to be detained for up to six months without charge or access to a lawyer.
Australian embassy officials have visited Cheng six times since his detention – most recently on January 27 – under a bilateral consular agreement with China, statement said.
Australia “has raised serious concerns about Ms Cheng’s regular detention at higher levels, including her well-being and conditions of detention”, statement said. “We expect the basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and human treatment to be met in accordance with international standards.”
Rising tensions
The case came to light amid deteriorating relations between China and Australia, sparking fears that Beijing was targeting Cheng to put pressure on Canberra. Tensions have worsened after the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus in April, a move seen in China that supports US President Donald Trump’s efforts to blame the pandemic.
The government of Chinese President Xi Jinping has imposed tariffs on Australian barley, banned products from several meat factories and launched an anti-dumping probe into its wine exports. However, China remains Australia’s largest trading partner, driven by the nation’s appetite for resources such as iron ore and coal.
Cheng has hosted business shows as a CGTN anchor since 2012 and was well known among the small circle of diplomats and journalists in Beijing. Previously, she was a correspondent with China for CNBC, after graduating from the University of Queensland with a bachelor’s degree in commerce and serving as an accountant at Cadbury Schweppes, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Cheng’s detention also coincided with a specific dispute between Australia and China over mutual intelligence agencies’ efforts to interrogate foreign journalists. China withdrew four state journalists from Australia after authorities raided their homes, while two Australian correspondents left China after state security agents searched for them.
One of the Australian journalists, Mike Smith of the Australian Financial Review, said in September that Chinese officials asked him about Cheng, among other things, before he was allowed to leave. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said separately that the cases of Australian journalists and Cheng have nothing to do with the raids on the homes of Chinese journalists.
– With the assistance of Jason Scott and James Mayger