Australia Condemns China for Treatment of Detained Journalist

SYDNEY (AP) —Australia has urged China to allow an Australian television anchor detained in Beijing to communicate with her family.

Cheng Lei was arrested in August 2020 while working for the Chinese government’s English language broadcaster CGTN.

She was charged formally with “illegally supplying state secrets overseas” and has had no contact with her family since her arrest.카지노사이트

The detention of Cheng Lei is one of several strains on Australia’s relationship with China.

The journalist was born in China but moved to Brisbane, Queensland, with her parents when she was nine years old. Beijing accuses the Australian citizen of leaking state secrets.

Australia has insisted on “basic standards of justice” and the treatment of Cheng.

However, the television host has had no contact with her two children in Melbourne, Australia, for the past two years.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese believes this is unjust.

“This is something that should occur,” he stated. “There has been absolutely no transparency in any of these processes.” The Chinese government must improve.”

Xiao Qian, China’s ambassador to Australia, gave a rare television interview, telling the ABC that Cheng’s case was being handled in accordance with Chinese law.

“Cheng Lei’s case is very unique in that she has been charged with transmitting national security information overseas,” he explained.

“The trial is ongoing, the trial is ongoing, and because it involves something like national security, it is being conducted in a way that is not open to the public.”

It does not imply that there is no evidence. There is proof.”

While Xiao could not intervene in the legal proceedings, he said he was attempting to arrange “much easier access” for Cheng’s relatives on a “humanitarian” basis.바카라사이트

In an extensive interview, he also warned that Taiwanese who support full independence from the mainland would face “punishment” under Chinese law.

The ambassador also claimed that a recent United Nations report accusing China of serious human rights violations, including torture, against its minority Uyghur population in Xinjiang province contained “nothing true.”

The allegations in the report, according to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, are “harrowing.”

Various trade and political disputes have strained Australia’s relations with China in recent years, and Canberra’s call for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19 in 2020 sparked deep resentment in Beijing, where it was interpreted as a criticism of the virus’s handling.

It was discovered in China, but the Chinese government warned that Australia’s demand for a global investigation could damage bilateral ties “beyond repair.”

Tensions remain, but both parties have expressed a desire to restore harmony and trust in the relationship.

Although China is Australia’s most important trading partner, Canberra’s decades-old military alliance with the US has been a source of contention with Beijing.온라인카지노