China Arrests Chinese-Australian Anchor... Detained for 6 Months

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] China has arrested a Chinese-Australian famous anchor, who has been detained since August last year, on charges of leaking state secrets overseas.

On the 8th (local time), Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced that "Cheng Lei, an anchor affiliated with CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television (CCTV), was arrested on the 5th after more than six months of detention," according to major foreign media.

Born in China, Cheng Lei worked in Australia before becoming a CCTV reporter in Beijing in 2003. He was suddenly detained last August on charges of harming national security. Currently, Cheng Lei's profile and recent videos have been removed from the CGTN website.

Minister Payne raised concerns about the Chinese government's arrest of Cheng Lei, stating, "The Australian government expresses serious concern about Cheng Lei's well-being and detention conditions."

Some view the detention as a manifestation of the ongoing conflict between Australia and China over COVID-19. After Australia demanded an international investigation, holding China responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, China retaliated with anti-dumping investigations and high tariffs on various Australian products such as beef and wine.

In March, China charged Chinese-Australian novelist Yang Hengjun with espionage, and in June, sentenced Australian Cam Gillespie to death for smuggling methamphetamine. Following Cheng Lei's detention in August, in September, Chinese authorities informed Michael Smith, the Shanghai correspondent for the Australian Financial Review, and Bill Birtles, the Beijing correspondent for ABC Australia, that they could not leave the country until investigations related to national security were completed. These last remaining Australian correspondents in China were able to leave the country with assistance from the Australian government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.