The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China is delighted by the news Australian journalist Cheng Lei has been able to return home, after more than three years in detention on national security charges.
According to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Cheng’s release “follows the completion of legal processes in China.”
Cheng was a former anchor for state broadcaster CGTN who spent years covering China for foreign and domestic audiences. Her prosecution and extended detention caused significant harm to her and her family, and was widely criticized by the Australian government and press freedom organizations.
Around the time of Cheng’s arrest in 2020, China also placed exit bans on two Australian correspondents, resulting in a diplomatic standoff and their eventual departure from China. Since then, Australian media has had no permanent representation in China, and journalists have struggled to get visas to cover the country.
The FCCC hopes that with Cheng’s release and improving ties between Beijing and Canberra, the Chinese authorities will also expedite the granting of visas to Australian media to resume reporting on China.