Australian journalist and television presenter Cheng Lei has been detained by China for more than six weeks.
Australian consular officials met again with Cheng Lei, an Australian-Chinese television presenter who was arrested six weeks ago by China on charges of “endangering national security”.
Prior to her arrest on August 14, Cheng Lei was a popular television presenter for the Chinese state English-language media, CGTN.
A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to SBS News that Australian consular officials were allowed to contact Cheng Lei via video chat on September 28. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to disclose more information about Cheng Lei’s situation, saying it was personal and private.
“The Australian government is providing consular assistance to Ms. Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen, and her family, who are currently detained in China,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday evening.
Cheng Lei’s two children are currently in Melbourne with relatives.
The prominent journalist is under “residential surveillance at a designated location,” a form of arrest typically used for major investigative activities.
China did not provide further details after accusing Cheng Lei of endangering national security.
Cheng Lei grew up in Australia and was educated at the University of Queensland. Previously, she worked in Singapore and China for CNBC and CCTV News, the predecessor of CGTN.
She has used her contacts in both countries to help deepen the bilateral relationship between Australia and China, and has been described as a “bridge between Australia and China”, and is not a critic of the Chinese Communist Party.
Following the arrest of Cheng Lei, two Australian journalists in China were interviewed by Chinese national security authorities in the middle of the night. Fearing for their personal safety, they returned to Australia under the auspices of the Australian Embassy in Beijing.
China has also previously reported that four Chinese journalists in Australia were raided by Australian intelligence officers in June this year. All four have since returned to China, and the Australian visas of the two Chinese academics involved have been revoked.
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