Chinese embassy officials allegedly blocked the view of Australian journalist Cheng Lei while she was reporting on a document signing ceremony between the Prime Minister and Chinese Premier Li Qiang earlier today.
Cheng recounted her experience to Sky News Australia following the incident, suggesting the move may have had something to do with her detention and recent release from a Chinese prison.
This morning, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Parliament House in Canberra. Holding the second most powerful position in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a Chinese politician of his seniority has not visited Australia since 2017.
Several journalists, including Cheng who is now a presenter and reporter for Sky News Australia, gathered in the main committee room at Parliament House to witness and report on official document signing proceedings with Albanese and Li Qiang.
Footage supplied to Sky News shows a man reportedly working for the Chinese embassy standing in front of Cheng as the document signing ceremony commenced. She was seated alongside other Australian journalists in an area designated for media representatives during the official proceedings.
According to a report from Daniel Hurst at Guardian Australia, an Australian media official approached the man who stood in front of Cheng and politely asked him to step aside. After the requests were repeatedly denied, an Australian media official firmly repeated their request.
“You’re standing in front of my Australian colleague – you must move,” the official reportedly said.
A fellow Australian journalist offered to swap seats with Cheng, and as the pair were doing so, another Chinese embassy official moved to get closer to Cheng’s new seat, a move that was blocked by another Australian official.
After the incident, Cheng did a live cross from Parliament House and suggested China could be “keeping tabs” on her following her release from Chinese prison late last year.
“I’m only guessing this is to prevent me from saying something or doing something that they think would be a bad look, but that in itself was a bad look,” Cheng said.
Later in the Sky News studio, speaking with news anchor Kieran Gilbert, Cheng said she heard Chinese embassy officials being directed to “stay on her”.
“I was sitting behind Chinese ministers, and I think for Chinese media, to get a wide shot (of the ceremony), (it) would have had me in it, and I don’t know what that would have meant for the Chinese audience,” Cheng said.
“Our officials behaved courteously, firmly, as they should have, but the Chinese embassy officials were willing to go above and beyond the lines of decency… it distracted us from reporting.”
At a press conference later today, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “not aware” of what reportedly took place between Cheng Lei and the Chinese embassy officials.
“I saw Cheng Lei and we smiled at each other during the event,” the Prime Minister told reporters.
“I’m not aware of those issues, it’s important people be allowed to participate fully. That’s what should happen in this building and anywhere else in Australia.”
Cheng Lei was released from a Chinese prison and returned to her home city of Melbourne in October last year. In August 2020, the broadcast journalist, who was working for Chinese state-owned media CGTN at the time, was detained by Chinese officials for “supplying state secrets overseas”, an allegation Lei has and continues to deny.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 172nd out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index. It states the PRC is the “world’s largest jailer” of journalists.
As of today, there are 106 journalists detained in China.