China formally arrests Australian TV presenter on espionage charges

China has formally arrested a Chinese-born Australian journalist for CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television, on suspicion of illegally disclosing state secrets abroad, Australia’s foreign minister said Monday. Cheng Lei’s arrest last Friday opens an official criminal investigation six months after she was detained.

“The Australian government has regularly expressed its serious concerns about Ms. Cheng’s detention at a high level, including her welfare and detention conditions,” said Secretary of State Marise Payne.

“We expect basic standards of fairness, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be met, in line with international standards,” she added.

China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Cheng’s arrest, saying her legal rights were “fully guaranteed.”

“We hope Australia will sincerely respect China’s judicial sovereignty and not interfere in any way with China’s law-based handling of cases,” Minister spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing.

The charges, which could result in life imprisonment or even death, are highly unusual for an employee of a media outlet tightly controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. British media watchdog Ofcom last week deprived CGTN of its UK broadcast license for lack of editorial control and is investigating complaints that it made forced confessions by suspects involved in political affairs.

Deteriorating bilateral relations since Australia called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic are said to be at the root of Cheng’s arrest.

Cheng’s two children, aged 9 and 11, live with their grandmother in Melbourne, Australia, said the journalist’s niece, Louisa Wen.

“I feel like the kids don’t quite understand the situation, so it’s probably pretty hard for the kids to wonder what’s going on,” Wen said. “Every time we do something fun, we think about her and how she can’t enjoy these things with us.”

Geoff Raby, chief executive of a Beijing-based business consulting firm, said Cheng has been his friend since he was Australia’s ambassador to China for four years, ending in 2011.

“She knows how the system works. She’s very knowledgeable and experienced and I just think this whole episode is amazing,” Raby told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

A month before Cheng was detained on August 13, Australia warned its citizens of the risk of arbitrary detention in China. China dismissed the warning as disinformation.

Before the last two journalists working for the Australian media in China left the country in September, they were questioned by Chinese authorities about Cheng.

Bill Birtles, reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Corp. and Michael Smith of The Australian Financial Review were told they were “interested” in an investigation into Cheng.

“I believe the episode was more of a harassment of the surviving Australian journalists than a genuine attempt to get something useful for that cause,” Birtles said after returning to Sydney.

Australia has criticized China for accusing Sino-Australian spy writer Yang Hengjun of espionage. He has been detained since January 2019.

Australian Karm Gilespie was sentenced to death in China last year, seven years after he was arrested and charged with attempting to board an international flight with more than 7.5 kilograms of methamphetamine. Some observers suspect that such a severe sentence so long after the crime was linked to the bilateral breach.

Cheng was an anchor for CGTN’s BizAsia program. Born in China, she worked in finance in Australia before returning to China and starting a career in journalism at CCTV in Beijing in 2003.