Ms Cheng has not been charged but is being held under what is called "residential surveillance at a designated location"
"The Australian Government has been informed that an Australian citizen, Ms Cheng Lei, has been detained in China," the statement said."Australian officials had an initial consular visit with Ms Cheng at a detention facility via video link on 27th of August and will continue to provide assistance and support to her and her family."
It is a form of detention in which investigators can imprison and question a suspect for up to six months while cutting them off from lawyers and the outside world — all before they have even been formally arrested.Ms Cheng's supporters are now arranging legal representation for her. "We are in close consultation with DFAT and doing everything we can as a family to support Cheng Lei.
She is also well known in the Australian community in Beijing because she had previously emceed various events for business associations and for the Australian embassy.
Hostage taking is part of Beijing’s normal method of “diplomacy” - along with threats, bullying and economic coercion. China is not Australia’s “friend” or “partner”. It sees itself as your new colonial overlord.
😡😡🤬
SHE IS JUST BEING QUESTIONED. HOWEVER AUSTRALIAN MEDIA HYPOCRITICALLY DOES NOT GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT JULIAN ASSANGE
China should feel free to discipline its own.
She's Chinese.
For a country that’s trying to imprint themselves on the world stage,they are so damn childish. Tit for tat trade retaliation. Detaining Australians, Grow the hell up China.And tell your supposedly adult diplomats to pick up the bloody phone. Communication works, tantrum's don’t
I would rather be detained and interrogated by Chinese authorities than be mistreated by Australia while I'm actually a free man. 6 months without lawyers and family with Chinese authorities sounds like heaven to me. I could spend my time reading Xi Jinping's Governing China.
'Prominent Australian anchor...' China don't care.
Why exactly is she being detained? Never said in the article...
A Chinese getting Shanghaied propperly Something to look forward to from Flapears Andrews
these people cause more problems than they solved: joined Australian community, works for China, now detained by her employer, and ask Australia to save her ass again.
What? Didn't see that coming 12months ago