China has arrested Australian CGTN host Cheng Lei on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets abroad.



“Chinese authorities have advised that Ms. Cheng was arrested on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets abroad,” Penn said. “The Australian government has regularly raised serious concerns about Ms. Cheng’s detention at a senior level, including Including his welfare and conditions. Detention. ”

Detained Australian consular officials have been visiting Cheng regularly since his detention, most recently on January 27, 2021.

Cheng was a business anchor at CGTN, the international arm of China’s state-owned broadcaster CCTV, which has since removed all references to it from its website and social media.

Now, according to his deleted profile, US-based journalist U.S. Financial News Network CNBC Also joined the Beijing-based broadcaster in 2012, after a nine-year stint. That CGTN. Was one of the top anchors who helmed the daily “Global Business” show, gave high profile interviews, as well as ran “Content Innovation” and participated in special projects.

In his spare time, Cheng was active in the Australian Australian community in Beijing, attending events at the Australian Australian Chamber of Commerce and Commerce and working as an “alumni ambassador” at the country’s embassy.

The Chinese social networking app, its last post on WeChat, launched on August 12 at the launch of Shakespeare Outlet in Beijing. Showed her at the first rest restaurant rent started by the chain in China. Standing in a bright green dress, Cheng captioned the photo with the hashtag, “No Shakespearean War.”

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a CNN business request for comment. Asked about Cheng’s detention last year, ministry spokesman Hua Chuning said, “China is a country under the rule of law, and we will act according to the law.”

Cheng’s original detention came amid growing ties between Canberra and Beijing. After Australia called for an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus epidemic, China targeted its trade, slapped products with tariffs and blocked acquisitions by Australian Australian companies.

Shortly after Cheng’s detention, two Australian-Australian journalists working in China fled the country on national security grounds, leaving the Australian media without any working journalists for the first time in nearly a decade.

Bill Bertels, a Beijing correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and Mike Smith, a Shanghai correspondent for the Australian Australian Financial Review (AFR), were told they were “interested in the investigation” in Cheng. The two sought the protection of consular officials and finally managed to fly out of China after five days of diplomatic blockade.

In a special report on Monday, the Birtels quoted members of Cheng’s family in Australia as saying they were unaware of the reason for their detention.

“I don’t think she would have intentionally done anything to harm national security in any way,” Luisa Wen, niece and spokeswoman for the family’s Cheng, told ABC. “We don’t know if she’s just stuck in something she didn’t realize.”

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