Detained Australian journalist Cheng Lei wrote diary about the COVID-19 pandemic in China

An Australian journalist who kept a diary of the coronavirus pandemic has been arrested in China with no reasons given.

Cheng Lei, an English-language presenter with the state-owned China Global Television Network since 2012, wrote withering Facebook posts about the Communist Party.

The Beijing-based business journalist, who studied in Brisbane and Melbourne, mocked the earlier lockdown in Wuhan in March.

‘The hottest word in Chinese social media is “gratitude”, brought up by Wang Zhonglin the Wuhan party secretary at a press conference two days ago, in the context of asking Wuhan residents to be be “grateful (to the party, to Dear Leader)”,’ she wrote.

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‘It immediately blew up the internet. Even in China, where the pool of material for satire never runs low, this is too rich.’

The host of CGTN’s Biz Talk TV show also slammed the hypocritical nature of China’s Communist Party leadership.

‘In China, the belief “do as I say, not as I do” runs deep in public office,’ she said on March 8.

‘”Serve the people” goes the slogans, reality is the opposite. 

‘On today, International Women’s Day, the joke is why do you never need a Leaders’ day? Officials’ day? Cadres’ day? That’ll be the day.’

Two days earlier, on March 6, she mocked the Communist Party’s Wuhan lockdowns.

‘Chednecks (China-rednecks) slapping each other on the back about how awesome China’s heavy measures are vs Chinkers (Chinese thinkers) who do not see the sacrifices in Wuhan as anything worth celebrating, who see respect for science and a balance between personal liberty and restrictive measures behind the best approaches,’ she said. 

The outspoken TV presenter’s profile has now been removed from the CGTN website, after eight years with the network.

Her Twitter page links to her CGTN segments, up to July, have also been removed. 

She was previously the Asia correspondent for the American CNBC business channel. 

Her detention in China is further straining relations between Australia and its biggest trading partner.

Cheng did a commerce degree at the University of Queensland and has two children in Melbourne.

Friends and family have been unable to contact her for weeks and her Facebook account appears to have been inactive since March.

The Australian government has confirmed she has been in custody since August 14.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham used restrained language to confirm her arrest.

‘We had consular access via video link on 27 August and continue to provide appropriate consular assistance,’ he said on Tuesday.

‘We equally are working with her family, who have issued a statement acknowledging they respect the process, and are urging people to respect their privacy and limit comment at this time.’

No reason has been provided for her detention in the authoritarian, one-party state.

Under Chinese law, she could be held for months in a secret location without charge.

Confirmation of her detention came on the same day China announced a second inquiry into Australian wine exports.

Senator Birmingham said various issues were weighing on the ‘vast and complex’ relationship between Australia and China.

‘There are obviously some issues of difficulty that arise from time to time. They have always arisen,’ he said.

‘There have long been different and difficult consular cases that exist in the Chinese relationship. 

‘There have always been other points of tension, be they on human rights or other matters.

‘But we continue to be committed to working as closely as we can and particularly in the areas of mutual interest and advantage for our two nations.’

China is furious with Australia for demanding an independent inquiry into the origins of coronavirus, with its ambassador in Canberra Cheng Jingye in April warning of trade boycotts.

Beijing has imposed new import restrictions on Australian beef, barley and wine, and is slow to return phone calls from Australian ministers.

In an online video for the Australia Global Alumni posted two years ago, Cheng described herself as an anchor for the global business show on CGTN.

Cheng, who also speaks Mandarin, was born in China and graduated from the University of Queensland in 1995 before working for Cadbury Schweppes and ExxonMobil in Australia.

‘The beauty of an Australian education is not about what is taught but more about what it doesn’t teach,’ she said.

‘It doesn’t teach you to just follow orders, it allows you the freedom to think for yourself, to question … to judge for yourself.’

After moving to China, Cheng – who speaks with an Australian accent – worked for the Chinese state broadcaster, the country’s biggest TV network. 

Her family have issued a brief statement.

‘In China, due process will be observed and we look forward to a satisfactory and timely conclusion to the matter,’ the family said.

Cheng’s detainment follows the detention of Australian academic Yang Hengjun.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has previously called for the immediate release of Dr Yang, who could face the death penalty if found guilty of spying charges.

He was detained in January 2019 and has been held since with limited consular contact.