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Australian TV Anchor Detained in China

Phil Mercer

   SYDNEY - Australian officials say they have spoken with a high-profile
   Australian televisionnewsanchor who has been detained in China.

   Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen,has worked fortheChinese government's
   English news service, CGTN. Cheng's detention in Bejingisseen asanother
   blow to already fragile Australia-China relations.

   Cheng Lei is being held under what is known in China as "residential
   surveillance at a designated location." The TV presenter has not
   beencharged but shecan be detained for up to six months without access
   to a lawyer.

   Chenghas worked as an on-air anchor and reporter for the China Global
   Television Network, or CGTN, for the past eight years. Videos
   featuringthe high-profile journalisthave been removed from the
   channel's online platforms and social media pages.

   Australia was officially notified of her arrest in the middle of
   August.

   A statement from Foreign Minister Marise Payne in Canberra said
   diplomatswere allowed tospeak to her last week via video link.

   TradeMinister Simon Birmingham says the government will do what it can
   to help her.

   "I feel for her family very much at this point in time, and it is why
   we will do what we can to assist her as we would and have any
   Australian in these sorts of circumstances. There is a long history of
   different consular cases and points of difficulty that we have seen
   over the years. So, we should not see this as a first, or a one-off. It
   is concerning for her family and we will provide the assistance that we
   can,"Birmingham said.

   It is highly unusual for foreign journalists to be detained in China.
   Friends of Cheng Lei have told Australian media that she was a "very
   skillfuloperator" who knew "where the limits on public comment" were in
   China's highly monitored media. It is unclear what she might have done
   to upset Chineseauthorities, orbreak any laws.

   Cheng was born in China and is an Australian citizen. In a statement,
   family members in Melbourne said they were optimistic that "in China,
   due process will beobservedand we look forward to a satisfactory and
   timely conclusion to the matter."

   She is the second Australian to be detained in Beijing. Writer Yang
   Hengjun is being investigated over alleged espionage and has been held
   since early 2019.

   In July, Canberra updated its information for Australians traveling to
   China, warning they could be at risk of arbitrary detention.

   Diplomatic tensions between Canberra and Beijing have also been
   enflamed by disputes over trade, as well as allegations of Chinese
   interference in Australia's domestic politics and cyber espionage.

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