Cheng Lei (; born 1975) is a Chinese-born Australian television news anchor and business reporter. She served as a prominent news anchor for Chinese state owned English-language news channel

China Global Television Network China Global Television Network (CGTN) is the international division of state media outlet China Central Television (CCTV), headquartered in Beijing, China. CGTN broadcasts six news and general interest channels in five languages. CGTN is r ...

(CGTN) in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

from 2012 to 2020 and also hosted the ''Global Business'' program which airs on CGTN. She had previously worked for nine years as

CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...

's China correspondent. In September 2020, after she had been detained by Chinese authorities in mid-August, a government official said Cheng Lei was "suspected of carrying out criminal activities endangering China’s national security", but no details about the accusations were provided. The

International Federation of Journalists The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries. The IFJ is an associate ...

said her detention was "without cause or reason" and "deeply concerning". Cheng was formally arrested in February 2021 "on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas", according to a statement from Australia's foreign minister

Marise Payne Marise Ann Payne (born 29 July 1964) is an Australian politician who served in the Morrison Government as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022 and as Minister for Women from 2019 to 2022. She has been a Senator for New South Wales si ...

Early life and education

Cheng Lei was born in Yueyang, Hunan province, in 1975. In 1985, at the age of 10, she migrated to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

with her family so that her father could pursue a PhD program.Mao, Frances (September 8, 2020)
"Cheng Lei: Why has an Australian TV anchor been detained by China?"
BBC News.Catanzaro, Joseph (May 1, 2015)
"How an accounting degree was the first step to a dream career in journalism"
intheblack.com. In 1992, Cheng began a Bachelor of Commerce at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

, graduating in 1995."UQ Business School Alumnus receives National Award"

UQ Business School The University of Queensland Business School is the business school of the University of Queensland, located in Brisbane, Australia. There are seven areas of research expertise across UQ Business School: Accounting, Business Information Systems, ...

. April 15, 2015. Cheng is a certified practising accountant and accredited Chinese-English translator.Cheng Lei - Q+A
abc.net.au. December 20, 2018. Cheng has said she wanted to be a journalist rather than an accountant, but was encouraged into accounting by her father. He questioned whether an Australian TV station would hire a Chinese reporter and said accounting would ensure her employability.

Career

In 1995, Cheng started her career in Australia as an accountant for

Cadbury Schweppes Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mars ...

and she later worked as a business analyst for

ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...

in 2000. Between 2000 and 2001, she moved to

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

, China to work as a business analyst with transport company Luneng Finemore Logistics.Tillett, Andrew (September 1, 2020)
"TV anchor's social media posts may have upset China"
''

Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...

''. After showing dissatisfaction over her career in finance, she pursued a career as a television reporter in China. In 2002, after a screen test at CGTN's predecessor CCTV, she was hired as an intern and was an on-air presenter three months later. She then worked in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

for nine years as

's China correspondent, starting in 2003.Bagshaw, Eryk (August 31, 2020)
"Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei detained in China"
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

''. In 2012, she returned to work at CCTV in Beijing. She has hosted numerous events including the Australia China Business Awards 2013, the APEC Women Leadership Forum 2014, and the Norway Asia Business Summit 2019.Power, John (August 31, 2020)
"Chinese-born Australian CGTN journalist Cheng Lei detained in Beijing"
''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

''. She was a guest on ''Q&A'', an Australian television panel discussion program, in 2014. Over the course of her career, Cheng has reported on major events in China such as Beijing's

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

and Shanghai's 2010 World Expo. She has interviewed high profile figures such as

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

José Manuel Barroso José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and university teacher, currently serving as non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International. He previously served as the 11th president of the European Commi ...

John W. Snow John William Snow (born August 2, 1939) is an American economist, attorney, and businessman who is the former CEO of CSX Corporation and served as the 73rd United States secretary of the treasury under U.S. President George W. Bush. He replaced ...

Rodrigo Rato Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo (born 18 March 1949) is a Spanish politician who served in the Council of Ministers from 1996 to 2004. He also served as the ninth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2004 to 2007 and the p ...

and

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expressed ...

. In a satirical 2018 video for CGTN about the

China–United States trade war The China–United States trade war () is an ongoing economic conflict between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America. In January 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump began setting tariffs and other trade barriers on Chin ...

, Cheng sarcastically thanked US President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

for all the things he had done for China.Lo, Kinling (August 22, 2018)
"‘Thanks Mr Trump’: Chinese state media mocks the president"
''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...

''. According to an article in the ''

'', it was "one of the few occasions that state media has personally targeted the US president since the start of the trade war, with most reports taking a less confrontational tone." On 22 August 2018, the video was removed from CGTN's official YouTube and Twitter accounts, hours before Chinese and American representatives met in Washington to discuss the trade war.Lo, Kinling (August 22, 2018)
"‘Thanks Mr Trump’: state media mocks US president for helping make China great again"
''

''.

Detention

On 14 August 2020, the

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federalism, federal parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster system, Westminster-sty ...

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

. Australian public news broadcaster

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

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.Buckley, Chris (August 31, 2020)
"China Detains Australian Host for Chinese State TV"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Australia's foreign ministry did not confirm ABC's report. Australian diplomats talked to Cheng via video link on August 27. She was held nearly two weeks before official news regarding her detention broke out in the media. 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 August 31, the

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journa ...

called on authorities in China to disclose their reasons for detaining Cheng or release her immediately."China detains state-run CGTN anchor and Australian citizen Cheng Lei"

. August 31, 2020. The

said the detention of Cheng was "without cause or reason" and "deeply concerning". Elaine Pearson, the head of

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

Australia, also said her detention was "very concerning". Pearson described Cheng's arrest as a possible instance of

hostage diplomacy Hostage diplomacy, also hostage-diplomacy, is the taking of hostages for diplomatic purposes. Background and overview The custom of taking hostages was an integral part of foreign relations in the ancient world. This long history of political an ...

. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' and some Australian media outlets have drawn parallels with the

seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

of Canadians

Michael Kovrig In December 2018, Canadian nationals Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were taken into custody in China. It appeared that their detention on December 10 and subsequent indictment under the state secrets law were linked to the Extradition case of ...

and

Michael Spavor Michael Peter Todd Spavor (born 1976) is a Canadian consultant who has worked extensively in North Korea. He is the director and founding member of Paektu Cultural Exchange, a NGO that facilitates sports, cultural, Tourism in North Korea, touri ...

in December 2018 that occurred after Canada

arrested An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...

CFO

Meng Wanzhou Meng Wanzhou (; born 13 February 1972), also known as Cathy Meng and Sabrina Meng, also informally known in China as the "Princess of Huawei", is a Chinese business executive. She is the deputy chair of the board and chief financial officer ( ...

. 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". At a September 1 press briefing, China's

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

spokeswoman

Hua Chunying Hua Chunying (; born 24 April 1970) is a Chinese official and former diplomat serving as spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China since 2012 and as the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2021. H ...

said she had "no specific information" about Cheng's case. Another spokesperson,

Zhao Lijian Zhao Lijian (; born 10 November 1972) is a Chinese politician and the deputy director of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department. He is the 31st spokesperson since the position was established in 1983. He joined the foreig ...

, told reporters on September 8 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 Bill Birtles is an Australian journalist who is working for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He worked in China from 2015 to 2020, eventually leaving after the Australian embassy advised him to do so, after the detainment of Cheng L ...

of the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

and Michael Smith of the ''

'', were investigated by China's state security police due to Cheng Lei's case. On December 12, 2020, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

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 Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg Televi ...

and Cheng Lei, or grant them access to

defense attorney A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...

s according to

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

. 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 February 5, 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 Xiao Qian (27 January 1910 – 11 February 1999), alias Ruoping (), was a famous essayist, editor, journalist and translator from China. His life spanned the country's history before and after the establishment of the People's Republic of C ...

, the Chinese ambassador to Australia, denied that Cheng was a political prisoner, and described the detention as a "individual case" which "should not be a problem" affecting China-Australia relationship.

Personal life

Cheng became an Australian citizen in 2003, and is bilingual in English and Mandarin. She has two children.

References

External links