Australian journalist who was detained in China issues warning

Daily Mail​

18-07-2025

Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who was imprisoned in China for three years, has warned the 'scars' of her detention are still present as she watches Anthony Albanese wooed in China. The Prime Minister has been photographed at tourist spots in the country during his six-day diplomatic tour to continue easing relations between the two nations. This included retracing the steps of Gough Whitlam on the Great Wall of China, attending a tennis tournament and visiting a panda research centre in the southwestern city of Chengdu.
Ms Lei is now questioning whether the government remains 'clear-eyed' amid its newly improved relationship with China. 'I have said I don't want to be the symbol of disengagement, but I am proud to be the reminder of how China really is, not how it portrays itself by hiding everything from Xinjiang's internment camps – where many Australian Uyghurs' family members are still missing – to its brutal arrests of dissidents,' she wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald. 'I'd like to ask the prime minister this: Now that relations are better, is it easier or harder to broach the hard subjects?'
Ms Lei was imprisoned by Chinese authorities in 2020 after being accused of 'illegally supplying state secrets overseas', allegations that were unfounded. She spent almost three years imprisoned. It was previously confirmed by Ms Lei that the allegation concerned the sharing of a government briefing, which had been issued to the media under embargo and broken by a matter of minutes. 'At this time two years ago, I was still locked up in a Beijing prison, a television journalist absurdly accused of espionage,' she said. 'Monthly visits by Australian embassy staff were my only hope of finding out what was really happening in the world until concerted diplomatic pressure secured my release.'
'A Chinese saying, 'You forget the pain once the scar heals', comes to mind. But the scars are still there,' she said. Ms Lei likened the way Westerners, including Prime Minister Albanese, behave when visiting China to deep-sea divers who descend beyond 30 meters 'They get high and giggly and may start dancing or taking off their gear. The rush of sensations leads to soundbites about 'dynamism' and 'rapid growth' and 'incredible opportunities',' she said. 'I don't see observations that show an understanding of what makes China tick.
'Australia, nevertheless, may need to consider how much hardball it is willing to play with China,' she said. She also took aim at politicians who might only believe the projected impression China offers to them. 'I can almost hear visiting politicians thinking, 'If only we could pass big projects with China's speed and execute them at its rate!',' she said. 'For every one of China's impressive infrastructure projects or breakthrough technologies, flip it over and look at the price tag.
'Are there worker organizations or lawyers to protect their rights? Without fear of arrest and torture?' 'Are there investigative journalists taking leads and exposing scandals leading to legislative change? How stringent and independently verified are the environmental standards?' Ms Lei highlighted officials of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who refuse to declare assets or send their family abroad. 'China operates on a 'party first' principle. It is built into every message the citizen receives. Individuals can be easily sacrificed to ensure party longevity,' she said.
'To save the party's face or interests, China has no qualms arresting and torturing innocent individuals and manipulating the narrative. I know it personally.' The final shot is a reference to an incident in June last year when Chinese media officials attempted to block Ms Lei from appearing on camera during a press conference beside China's second-in-command Premier Li Qiang. The whole interaction lasted the duration of the 20-minute press conference. The journalist also opened up about why she thinks she was incarcerated, suggesting it was an 'act of retaliation against then foreign minister Marise Payne'.
The former cabinet minister had requested an independent investigation into the cause of the COVID epidemic, including China's management of the initial outbreak. 'What revenge might China take against Australians over the rescinding of its purchase of the Port of Darwin?' Ms Lei said. Her final point in the column, which was published on Friday, was to emphasize that all Australians need to be 'clear-eyed and cool-headed' regarding China. The journalist said the country is divided, with some Australians calling Albanese a 'sell-out' for trading with China while others say the US tariffs have left the country with no choice.
'Both sides have a point,' Ms Lei said. 'It is the responsibility of all of us... Let's not scapegoat our leader when we all benefit from China's money,' she said. 'China loves nothing more than to see us distracted and divided from endless bickering.' 'I am glad the prime minister raised the case of the Australian citizen and democracy activist Yang Hengjun, who remains imprisoned in China, but I'm disappointed that others are not doing more.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the federal government for comment.
The has been shorter on concrete outcomes than in previous years, when his resumption of dialogue with China saw $20 billion worth of Chinese trade sanctions lifted from Australian exports. A few agreements to boost trade and tourism links have been reached. While detained, Ms Lei said she was forced to shove sanitary pads in her shoes due to the inadequate footwear. She was also often pinned to uncomfortable chairs with heavy wooden boards and shares a cramped cell with a single bed and one toilet with three others, forcing the group to take turns sleeping. The mother-of-two told officials her eyesight had deteriorated after spending long hours in her cell and was told it would be a 'hassle' to get her reading glasses.