Detained Australian journalist’s case shines fresh spotlight on China’s ‘hostage diplomacy’
- Australian citizen Cheng Lei’s detention is the latest incident where the Chinese authorities have been accused of targeting foreign citizens
- Beijing does not allow dual citizenship and some observers say Chinese-born people may not have their new nationality recognised
The detention of Chinese-born Australian journalist Cheng Lei has highlighted the risk to foreign nationals from so-called “hostage diplomacy” and Beijing’s attitude towards dual nationals of Chinese descent, observers have warned.
Cheng, who worked as a TV anchor for Chinese state media, has been held for more than a month and is accused of “criminal activity endangering China’s national security”, according to the country’s foreign ministry.
She joins dissident Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun who was charged with espionage in March after more than a year in custody – an indictment that prompted an official protest from Australia. Yang’s wife, an Australian permanent resident, has been barred from leaving China.
China does not allow dual citizenship and the Australian government has warned its nationals of Chinese origin that the authorities in Beijing may refuse to recognise their new nationality and deny access to consular services.
Grant Wyeth, a researcher at the Asia Institute of the University of Melbourne, said the two countries had different attitudes towards citizenship.
“The CCP sees itself as being the sole voice for all ethnic Chinese. Because of this the party tends not to respect the citizenship of ethnic Chinese, believing that ethnicity takes precedence over nationality,” he said.
China is not the only country to make use of so-called hostage diplomacy but it has been thrown into the spotlight as Cheng’s detention coincided with a sharp deterioration in relations with Australia.