An ABC correspondent in Beijing and a correspondent for the Australian Financial Review (AFR) in Shanghai on Monday night local time boarded a plane for Sydney after each being questioned separately by the Chinese Ministry of State Security. They were not officially charged. ABC did not say what their case specifically concerned.
–
Journalists, who were temporarily banned from leaving the country by the Chinese authorities, turned to the Australian embassy in Beijing and the consulate in Shanghai for their own safety. Australian diplomats eventually negotiated a safe departure from Chinese officials. The couple landed in Australia’s largest city on Tuesday morning.
–
ABC recalls that the incident took place just days after the arrest of a Chinese journalist with an Australian passport, Cheng Lei, who worked for the prominent Chinese state television CGTN in Beijing.
–
China has not issued visas to newly seconded Australian correspondents, so for the first time since the 1970s, Australia has no accredited journalist in China. Reuters reported on Monday that the Chinese authorities will delay the extension of accreditation for American media correspondents as well.
–
Tension over covid-19
Tensions between Beijing and Canberra have risen after the Australian government called for an international inquiry into the origins of the new coronavirus. Beijing has since imposed trade tariffs on Australia and is investigating several Australian products for possible illegal state aid. In July this year, the Canberra government issued a warning to its citizens about the increased risk of arbitrary arrest in China.
—
