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NEW YORK (Dagbladet): Cheng’s arrest comes as the level of tension between China and Australia rises, writes CNN.
Australia received a formal notification on August 14 that Cheng Lei had been arrested, according to a statement from Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
Cheng was born in China but is an Australian citizen.
The Australian Foreign Service reportedly held a video call with her on 27 August. Payne tells 2GB radio channel that Cheng has been arrested without charge and may be jailed “for months.”
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“The process in the Chinese system does not require a charge to be filed at this time, but we continue to seek information on what and for how long she can remain incarcerated without charges,” Payne said.
Cheng’s family say they are cooperating with Australian authorities on the situation.
“We are doing everything possible as a family to support Cheng Lei,” the family said in a statement.
Cheng had a presenter role in the financial broadcasts of CGTN, which is the international English-speaking part of China’s state television company CCTV. They have now removed all references to him on their websites and on social media.
Cheng is said to have started working for CGTN in 2012 after previously working for the American financial channel CNBC for nine years.
She was also very active in the Australian community in Beijing. Her last post on WeChat, the Chinese social media app, was from the opening of a Shake Shack restaurant in Beijing on August 12, writes CNN.
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It is still unclear why Cheng was arrested.
– I have no specific information for you. China is a country with the rule of law and we will act according to the law, said a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, according to the television channel.
In recent months, relations between Australia and China have become increasingly tense. After Australia demanded an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus in China, China imposed punitive tariffs on barley grain and other Australian products. On Monday, China also announced that it will investigate whether Australia’s wine exports have been unfairly subsidized. Last week Australia blocked the sale of dairy products to a Chinese company in “national interest”.
Australia has also condemned, among other things, the highly controversial security law that was recently introduced in Hong Kong, as well as Chinese military activity in the South China Sea and human rights violations against the Muslim Uighur minority, writes the Washington Post.
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