Australian journalist Cheng Lei’s arrest in China causes concern, press freedom fears
- The TV anchor at China’s CGTN was formally arrested on Friday for ‘supplying state secrets’, amid deteriorating Australia-China relations
- Her former colleagues, family members and press freedom advocates have expressed concern about her well-being, six months after she was detained
Former colleagues and press freedom advocates have expressed concern for the well-being of Chinese-Australian journalist Cheng Lei following her arrest on national security grounds.
01:51
Australian journalist Cheng Lei formally arrested in China for ‘illegally supplying state secrets’
Eric Olander, who worked with her in Singapore in 2003, said it was “heartbreaking to see what she’s now having to endure”.
“Back in 2003 when we worked together at CNBC Asia, I remember Lei being part of a new generation of Chinese journalists that was so refreshingly different from her predecessors,” said Olander, who is managing editor of The China Africa Project website and podcast.
“She brought important nuance to her reporting on Chinese business news that until then was really lacking in so much of the coverage.”
Tech podcaster Elliott Zaagman, who once shared an apartment building with Cheng and appeared on her show, said her arrest “hit very close to home” among the expatriate community in Beijing.