Foreign Minister Still Concerned Over Australian Journalist’s Long-Term Detention in China

Australian journalist Cheng Lei is seen in Beijing, China, in this still image taken from undated video footage. Australia Global Alumni-Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Handout via Reuters

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she remains deeply concerned over the continuing detention of China-born Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who has been imprisoned for nearly three years.

Cheng was arrested by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities in 2020 on charges of “illegally supplying state secrets overseas.”

She had been working at the time of her arrest as a news anchor for China Global Television Network and was in prison for 19 months prior to her closed-door trial last year. Cheng is still awaiting the outcome of those proceedings.

In a media statement to mark the anniversary of the trial, Wong said the Australian government has deep concerns over delays in the case.

“Today marks one year since Australian citizen Ms. Cheng Lei faced a closed trial in Beijing on national security charges. 12 months on, she is still waiting to learn the outcome of the trial,” Wong said.

“We share the deep concerns of Ms. Cheng’s family and friends about the ongoing delays in her case. Our thoughts today are with Ms. Cheng and her loved ones, particularly her two children.”

Cheng’s two young children and family reside in the southern Australian city of Melbourne in Victoria. But, according to Cheng’s partner, Nick Coyle, she has not been able to contact them regularly.

The foreign minister also said that the federal government had advocated at every opportunity for Cheng to be reunited with her young family.

“Australia has consistently called for Ms. Cheng to be afforded basic standards of justice, procedural fairness, and humane treatment in accordance with international norms.”

However, China’s spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, has said that China’s position on Cheng is clear and consistent and that the CCP fully protect the rights and interests of the individuals.

CCP Authorities Blocking Consular Access to Cheng

CCP authorities have regularly denied Australian consulate staff contact with Cheng, with Coyle telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she has only had two face-to-face consular visits during her 31-month detention.

On March 31, Cheng’s case was tried in secret at Beijing’s Second Intermediate Court after 19 months in custody, with authorities refusing to allow Graham Fletcher, Australia’s ambassador to China, to attend.

Australian Ambassador to China Graham Fletcher (left) is turned away by court officials and police as he tries to enter the trial of Chinese Australian journalist Cheng Lei at the Beijing Number 2 Intermediate People’s Court in Beijing, China, on March 31, 2022. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

“This is deeply concerning, unsatisfactory, and very regrettable,” Fletcher told reporters at the time.

Coyle, who is the outgoing CEO of the Australian China Chamber of Commerce, revealed in June 2022 that monthly consular visits and regular 30-minute video meetings between Cheng and Australian officials had been suspended due to the CCP’s tight COVID-19 restrictions.

“I find that just totally unacceptable,” Coyle told Sky News Australia. “These monthly consular visits have literally been what’s kept her going for 20 months.”

Victorian Premier Criticised For his Failure to Speak Up

The statement from the foreign minister stands in stark contrast to the actions of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews who has been criticised for his decision not to speak up for Cheng during his current diplomatic visit to Beijing.

Andrews is the first Australian premier to officially visit China since 2019. The four-day trip has been shrouded in secrecy with no journalists invited to accompany him.

Prior to travelling to Beijing, Andrews told the press that he would not be raising the issue of Cheng Lei with his Chinese hosts as the topic was “too sensitive” and not appropriate.

Andrews has been noted for his close association with the CCP, signing Victoria up for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

This controversial move was later overturned by the federal Coalition government after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Sky News the United States would consider “disconnecting” from Australia if Victoria’s BRI presented a risk to telecommunications infrastructure.

Then-federal opposition Labor leader Prime Minister Anthony Albanese eventually supported the move saying: “A government I led would not be signing up to the Belt and Road Initiative.”

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Coyle, Cheng’s partner, criticised Andrews for the decision, telling ABC News Breakfast there was no reason why the premier chose to ignore the issue.

“Lei’s a Victorian,” he said. “So, I would have thought it is entirely appropriate for the premier to raise concerns that he might have had.”

Coyle noted that the Albanese government and Foreign Minister Wong had routinely raised her case, and he would have thought that the premier could have joined in helping one of his constituents.

“I think if these things are done carefully and obviously done in consultation with the federal government that there’s no reason why the premier couldn’t be raising Lei’s case. I think it is important that her case is raised as consistently and at a higher level as possible as much as we can,” Coyle said.