Sydney: An Australian journalist who disappeared from Chinese state television’s airwaves six months ago and was detained by Beijing authorities has been formally arrested for “supplying state secrets overseas”.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Monday that China had revealed it formally arrested Cheng Lei on February 5, after taking her into custody last August without explanation.
The mother-of-two stands accused of “illegally supplying state secrets overseas”, Payne said in a statement, without providing details.
Cheng had been a familiar face on CGTN’s English-language channel, conducting interviews with noted CEOs from around the world.
Born in Hunan province, she emigrated to Australia as a child, before returning to China and joining the state broadcaster in 2012.
She now faces severe punishment if found to have broken China’s national security laws.
Her niece Louisa Wen told Australian broadcaster ABC that the family did not “understand anything…