SYDNEY: China accuses Australian journalist of sharing state secrets abroad after being detained about six months ago, raising concerns about foreign media intimidation and deepening diplomatic dispute that has chilled bilateral trade .
Cheng Lei, anchor of the Chinese government’s English-language television news channel, was officially charged on Friday as he had previously been arrested by local authorities on August 13th. Ms. Cheng’s arrest and the evacuation of two other Australian journalists from China weeks later illustrated the dangers journalists may face while working in the country.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it had repeatedly raised concerns about its situation with senior Chinese officials. China has not detailed the charges Ms. Cheng faces, including the state secrets she alleges have been disclosed or in which country.
Ms. Cheng graduated from the Australian University of Queensland and has been working for CGTN since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile at the time of her arrest. Australian embassy officials have visited Ms. Cheng six times since she was arrested, the most recent on Jan. 27.
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment.
Diplomatic relations between Beijing and Canberra have deteriorated since Australia began calling for support from European leaders in mid-April to investigate the first missteps that would contribute to the coronavirus pandemic. Chinese officials saw Australia’s stance as politically motivated.
Tensions escalated in July as Australia moved to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and give city residents a way to stay permanently in response to China’s imposition of a security law. national in the semi-autonomous city.
The same month, Australia updated its travel warning for mainland China, saying Chinese authorities have detained foreigners for allegedly “endangering national security” and that Australians are at risk of arbitrary detention.
More recently, China and Australia have exchanged beards for everything from tariffs on barley and wine, to a tweet from a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman of a doctoral image of an Australian soldier who he had a knife in the throat of an Afghan boy.
The timing of the arrests and convictions of foreign nationals in China has often coincided with disputes with other countries, prompting diplomats to believe they are related.
Within weeks of Cheng’s arrest, Bill Birtles, a correspondent for Beijing-based Australian Broadcasting Corp., and Shanghai-based Michael Smith for the Australian Financial Review, were removed from China after a diplomatic confrontation that saw the couple seek refuge in Australian diplomatic missions while officials negotiate their departure.
Two Canadian citizens remain in custody by Chinese authorities for about two years after being detained within hours of each other in two Chinese cities, just nine days after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei Technologies Co. chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, at the request of the US. an incident that has engulfed Canada in a wider diplomatic row between Washington and Beijing.
Write to David Winning to [email protected]
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