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It is not clear what “criminal activity” Cheng Lei has committed.
An Australian journalist detained in China for weeks is being held on national security grounds, China said.
Cheng Lei, host of the China Global Television Network (CGTN), is suspected of “criminal activity that endangers China’s national security.”
She has been detained since August 14.
The announcement comes after the last two journalists working for Australian media in China flew home to Sydney after a five-day diplomatic standoff.
Bill Birtles of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Mike Smith of the Australian Financial Review (AFR) landed in Sydney on Tuesday.
The Chinese authorities questioned both men before their departure. Birtles told the BBC that he was questioned about Ms Cheng.
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Relations between Australia and China have deteriorated in recent years.
There have been allegations of Chinese interference in Australian society in the past, but the ties worsened after Canberra backed an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
The China Foreign Correspondents Club said on Monday that a record 17 foreign journalists had been expelled from the country in the first half of 2020.
What happened to Cheng Lei?
An Australian citizen based in Beijing, Ms Cheng is a respected and high-profile business journalist for the English-language channel CGTN.
In August, he suddenly disappeared from television and cut off contact with friends and family. China finally announced that she was being held under “residential surveillance” at an unknown location.
No charges were announced at the time. But now Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the government detained her for “national security reasons” and said the authorities had taken “mandatory measures” against her. An investigation is now underway, she added.
The spokesperson did not elaborate on the allegations, and it is unclear what “criminal activity” he allegedly committed.
But at the time of his arrest, some believed his Australian nationality could have been a factor, amid increasingly poor relations between Beijing and Canberra.
And the other Australian journalists?
Mike Smith and Bill Birtles left China on Monday after being interviewed by Chinese authorities.
Birtles told the BBC that Australian diplomats advised him last Monday that he should leave China immediately.
“They had received some kind of warning or advice, they never specified what,” the journalist said.
It was then booked on a flight due to depart from Beijing last Thursday. But the situation escalated at midnight Wednesday when six Chinese policemen and a translator visited his apartment while he had a goodbye drink with friends.
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He said the police did not arrest him, but informed him that he was involved in a “national security investigation” and that he could not leave the country.
He contacted Australian consular officials the next morning, who picked him up and took him to the Australian embassy, where he spent the next four days.
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He was later interviewed by the Chinese police in the presence of the Australian Ambassador to China, Graham Fletcher. Birtles said he was questioned about Cheng Lei.
“I know her, but not particularly well, it didn’t seem like I was the most logical person to question if you wanted evidence on her case,” he said.
Birtles said he was also asked about the sources he used to report on Hong Kong’s national security law and on Australia’s relations with China.
“There was no real and rigorous effort to extract any evidence or something that could really be used in any case,” he added.
Mike Smith, who is based in Shanghai, also received a visit from the police, prompting him to go to the Australian consulate there. He was also questioned by Ms Cheng, AFR reported.
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Mike Smith and Bill Birtles left Shanghai on Monday
Both were allowed to leave the country after their interviews with the police.
Why are the ties between Australia and China strained?
The countries rely heavily on each other for trade, but their relationship has deteriorated in recent years, amid allegations of Chinese interference in Australian society.
Ties have deteriorated further this year after Canberra endorsed an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.
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Tensions have risen in recent years between Australia and China
In actions widely viewed as retaliation, Beijing has imposed restrictions on Australian exports, such as beef, barley and wine. It has also warned Chinese tourists and students about racism in Australia.
In July, Australia warned its citizens that they could face “arbitrary detention” in China, a travel advisory that remains in effect.
Canberra has also raised concerns about human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, urging China to release detained Australians like Yang Hengjun, a democracy activist who has been detained for 19 months without trial.
