On 14 August 2020, the
Government of Australia received a formal notification regarding the detention of Cheng Lei in China, which was later confirmed in a statement by the
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne. Australian public news broadcaster
ABC reported that she was being held under "
residential surveillance", which allows the Chinese officials and authorities to keep detainees in secret custody for a period of up to six months without charge, and deny visits by family members or lawyers. Australia's foreign ministry did not confirm ABC's report. After the news emerged regarding her detention, CGTN apparently removed the biography and details of Cheng from its official website. Her detention also further escalated the tensions between
Australia and China. On 31 August, the
Committee to Protect Journalists called on authorities in China to disclose their reasons for detaining Cheng or release her immediately. The
International Federation of Journalists said the detention of Cheng was "without cause or reason" and "deeply concerning". Elaine Pearson, the head of
Human Rights Watch Australia, also said her detention was "very concerning".
The Guardian and some Australian media outlets have drawn parallels with the
seizure of Canadians
Michael Kovrig and
Michael Spavor in December 2018 that occurred after Canada
arrested Huawei CFO
Meng Wanzhou. Minister Payne stated in a radio interview that the idea Cheng was being used as a pawn in the deteriorating relationship between the two countries was "speculative at best". Another spokesperson,
Zhao Lijian, told reporters on 8 September that Cheng Lei was "suspected of carrying out criminal activities endangering China’s national security". Zhao did not provide any details about the accusations. Two Australian journalists based in China,
Bill Birtles of the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Michael Smith of the
Australian Financial Review, were investigated by China's state security police due to Cheng Lei's case. On 12 December 2020, the
European Union appealed to the
Beijing National Security Bureau to release "all those arrested and detained in connection with their reporting activity", including Haze Fan of
Bloomberg News and Cheng Lei, or grant them access to
defense attorneys according to
international law. In February 2021, Marise Payne announced that Cheng had been formally arrested in China "on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas". After being detained in August 2020, Cheng was arrested on 5 February 2021. According to her family, Cheng was interrogated several times and her health had deteriorated. On 31 March 2022, after 19 months of detention, Beijing No.2 People's Intermediate Court heard Cheng Lei's case in a secret session. Australia's ambassador
Graham Fletcher was denied access to the court due to the case involving "national security". In June 2022,
Xiao Qian, the Chinese ambassador to Australia, denied that Cheng was a political prisoner, and described the detention as an "individual case" which "should not be a problem" affecting China-Australia relationship.
1,000th Day of Incarceration In April 2023, Chinese authorities pushed Cheng Lei's sentencing date by another three months; the fifth such delay. Speaking in London on 2 May 2023, where he was attending the coronation of
King Charles III, Australian prime minister
Anthony Albanese noted that the 1,000th day of Cheng's incarceration was approaching on 9 May. In an interview with
Piers Morgan, Albanese stated: "Our position on China has been to engage constructively but to continue to put forward that the impediments to trade should be removed, to say very directly to President Xi, that Australians such as Cheng, need to be given proper justice, and that they’re not receiving that at the moment." Nick Coyle, Cheng's partner, made repeated pleas for the Australian government to link the country's improving trade ties with China directly to the plight of Cheng and fellow Australian detainee
Yang Hengjun.
Release On 11 October 2023, Australian Prime Minister
Anthony Albanese announced that Cheng had been released and had returned to Australia. She arrived at
Melbourne Airport where she was met by Australian Foreign Minister
Penny Wong. After her release she did an interview with ABC's
7.30 where she said she was exposed to a "sophisticated form of torture" while in detention. In June 2024, Australian Prime Minister compared
Julian Assange's release to that of Cheng Lei and economist
Sean Turnell, who was taken prisoner by
Myanmar’s military government for 650 days. The comparison caused a stir among the Australian opposition. == Personal life ==