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☆ Australia and China: Rebound in Ties Threatened by Death Sentence for Australian Writer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

China's then ambassador to Australia says that in response to the call, the Chinese public would boycott Australian wine, beef and tourism. Nov. 27, 2020 - China will impose temporary anti-dumping tariffs on Australian wine, China announces. Jan. 3, 2023 - China allows three government-backed utilities and its top steelmaker to resume coal imports from Australia. Oct. 11, 2023 - China releases Australian journalist Cheng Lei after three years in a Beijing prison on national security charges. Oct. 22, 2023 - China agrees to review dumping tariffs of 218% on Australian wine, potentially clearing way for the resumption of imports.

Persons: Yang Hengjun, Anthony Albanese, China's, Cheng Lei, Albanese, Xi Jinping, Jan, Li, Kirsty Needham, Antoni Slodkowski, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SYDNEY, South China, Huawei Technologies Co, Australia's Labor Party Locations: Beijing, Canberra, China, South, Australia, Indonesia, Japan

☆ Minnie Chan: Media groups raise concerns following report of ‘missing’ Hong Kong journalist in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Press freedom groups are voicing concern for veteran Hong Kong journalist Minnie Chan following a news report that she went missing after traveling to Beijing to cover a security forum in late October. The association, a trade union which advocates for press freedom, called for friends or relatives with information to get in touch. Chan is a highly regarded journalist in Hong Kong and among international audiences who closely follow China news. China ranks 179 out of 180 in the 2023 RSF World Press Freedom Index. It is the world’s largest captor of journalists and press freedom defenders with at least 121 detained, according to the organization.

Persons: Hong, Minnie Chan, “, Chan, ”, Cheng Lei, Haze Fan Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Press, Protect Journalists, Kyodo, China Morning, Beijing ”, China’s Foreign, Hong Kong Journalists Association, Bloomberg News, China Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Hangzhou

☆ Australia-China: After seven years of strain, leader Albanese heads to Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Stakes are high for the four-day visit, which begins on Saturday and will see Albanese meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang and make stops in Beijing and Shanghai. Albanese’s trip also carries symbolic overtones, marking 50 years since the first official visit by an Australian leader to Communist China after the two countries established ties. James Bugg/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesUS relations loomAlbanese is heading to Beijing less than two weeks after he met with US President Joe Biden in Washington. As he aims to repair ties with China, Albanese will need to walk a line between these interests and China’s suspicions about the aims of these blocs, analysts say. “Beijing came to learn that the weaponization of trade did not force a close US ally to back down,” said Collinson.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Scott Morrison’s, Jingdong Yuan, ”, Cheng Lei, Yang Hengjun, Yang, ” Albanese, Elena Collinson, teeters, ” Collinson, James Bugg, Joe Biden, “ Albanese, Yuan, Xi, Biden, Collinson, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China’s Foreign Ministry, University of Sydney, Reuters, Huawei, Albanese’s Labor, Canberra, Albanese’s, University of Technology Sydney’s, China Relations Institute, Trans, Pacific, Bloomberg, Getty, Albanese, China, China - Asia Security, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Economic Cooperation, Australia Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Shanghai, Australia, Washington, Seoul, Communist China, Asia, Pacific, Darwin, Pacific Islands, South, University of Technology Sydney’s Australia, Europe, Yarra, Victoria, South China, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Sydney, Stockholm, San Fransisco

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday he will raise the plight of a detained democracy blogger with Chinese leaders during a state visit to China. Albanese said he had approved a draft letter to the sons of Yang Hengjun, who has been detained in China since 2019. Political Cartoons View All 1227 ImagesThey said they had just last week received the first letter Yang had been allowed to send from detention. Feng said Albanese becoming the first Australian prime minister in seven years to visit China created an opportunity for Yang. They hoped Australian authorities could “achieve a second miracle by saving our father.”Asked about Cheng’s case, Albanese told reporters: “Every case is ... different.”

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Yang Hengjun, “, ” Albanese, Yang, ” Yang, Feng Chongyi, Feng, “ It’s, ” Feng, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Cheng Lei, Xi, Cheng, Yang’s, ” Organizations: —, China’s Ministry of State Security, China Locations: CANBERRA, Australia, China, Beijing, Shanghai, Indonesia

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will visit China in early November, making the announcement Sunday hours before he was to fly to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden. Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister to visit China in seven years when he travels to Beijing and Shanghai on Nov. 4-7. The visit will come near the 50th anniversary of Labor Party leader Gough Whitlam becoming the first Australian prime minister to visit the People's Republic of China in 1973. Albanese accepted an invitation weeks ago to visit China this year, but finding suitable dates had been challenging. It will be the ninth time Biden has met with Albanese as prime minister.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Albanese, “, ” Albanese, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Gough Whitlam, Biden, Cheng Lei, “ We’ll, ”, “ I’ve Organizations: Australian, House, U.S, China, Labor Party, World Trade Organization, Biden, Economic Cooperation, Darwin Port, Shandong Landbridge Group Locations: CANBERRA, Australia, China, United States, Beijing, Shanghai, United Kingdom, U.S, Britain, People's Republic of China, Washington, Asia, San Francisco, Tokyo, Japan, India, Darwin

[1/2] Performers dance to welcome Vietnam's President Vo Van Thuong at Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 17, 2023. The conciliatory approach towards rivals as well as China's partners in the developing world comes as President Xi Jinping gets to grips with the most significant domestic economic problems seen in years. China has not changed its tone on every issue. It has not backed away from escalating maritime confrontation with the Philippines in the South China Sea. Stabilizing the U.S. relationship, including with a meeting between Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden at an upcoming Asia- Pacific summit, could give China breathing room.

Persons: Vo Van Thuong, Parker, Biden, Xi Jinping, Noah Barkin, Barkin, Cheng Lei, Xi, Chuck Schumer, Willy Lam, Huiyao Wang, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Zack Cooper, Don Durfee, Robert Birsel Organizations: Beijing Capital International, Forum, U.S, Initiative, Jamestown Foundation, for, Marshall, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, San Francisco China, HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, Sri Lanka, United States, Asia, Europe, Australia, U.S, Zambia, Philippines, South China, Africa, for China

☆ Australian journalist Cheng Lei detained by China arrives home
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

CGTN anchor Cheng Lei speaking on stage at the Corporate Innovation Summit during day two of Web Summit 2019 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who had been detained on national security charges in Beijing for more than three years, returned home on Wednesday after being released, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Cheng, who was tried in secret in March 2022, arrived in Melbourne and has been reunited with her two children and family, Albanese told a press conference. "(The) government has been seeking this for a long period of time and her return will be warmly welcomed not just by her family and friends but by all Australians," he said. Albanese said he expected to visit China this year.

Persons: Cheng Lei, Anthony Albanese, Cheng, Albanese Organizations: Corporate, Web, Australia's Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, Australian, Beijing, Melbourne, China

☆ Australian journalist Cheng Lei back home after China release
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Australian journalist Cheng Lei poses for a selfie at an unknown location in this undated picture obtained by Reuters on August 11, 2023. Nicholas Coyle/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who had been detained in China on national security charges for more than three years, returned home on Wednesday after being released, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Cheng, who was tried in secret in March 2022, arrived in Melbourne and has been reunited with her two children and family, Albanese told a press conference. Albanese said he expected to visit China this year and told reporters dialogue with China was "a good thing". Albanese said Australia "continued to advocate" for another detained Australian journalist, Yang Hengjun, who has been held since January 2019.

Persons: Cheng Lei, Nicholas Coyle, Handout, Anthony Albanese, Cheng, Albanese, Penny Wong, I've, Xi Jinping, Ryan Neelam, " Albanese, Yang Hengjun, Yang, Adam Ni, Kirsty Needham, Laurie Chen, Alasdair Pal, Clarence Fernandez, Miral Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Australia's, Lowy Institute, Independent, Thomson Locations: Australian, China, Melbourne, Australia, Beijing, Independent China, Canberra, Sydney

☆ Factbox-Foreign Nationals Detained in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Here are some other high-profile cases of foreign nationals detained in China:YANG HENGJUNThe Australian writer has been detained in China for more than three years, and in 2021 was tried in Beijing on undisclosed national security charges. His arrest coincided with worsening relations between Australia and China and a verdict in his case has been repeatedly delayed. JAPANESE BUSINESSMANA Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc, who has not been identified publicly, was detained in Beijing in March on suspicion of espionage, sending a chill through the Japanese business community in China. The Chinese foreign ministry, when asked last month if the Japanese employee had been arrested, said foreign nationals in China must abide by the country's laws or be prosecuted otherwise. KAI LILi, who is Chinese-American, has been detained in China since 2016.

Persons: Cheng Lei, YANG HENGJUN, Yang, ROBERT SCHELLENBERG, Meng Wanzhou, MARK SWIDAN, Katherine Swidan, KAI LI Li, Harrison Li, Laurie Chen, Don Durfee, Robert Birsel Organizations: Astellas Pharma Inc, Kyodo, Huawei, United, Reuters Locations: BEIJING, Australian, China, Beijing, Australia, United States, Vancouver, Canada, MARK SWIDAN The Texas, United Nations

☆ Foreign nationals detained in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Persons: Cheng Lei, YANG HENGJUN, Yang, ROBERT SCHELLENBERG, Meng Wanzhou, MARK SWIDAN, Katherine Swidan, KAI LI Li, Harrison Li, Laurie Chen, Don Durfee, Robert Birsel Organizations: Astellas Pharma Inc, Kyodo, Huawei, United, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Australian, China, Beijing, Australia, United States, Vancouver, Canada, MARK SWIDAN The Texas, United Nations

CNN —Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei has been released by China and returned home to her family, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Wednesday, more than three years after she was detained on opaque espionage charges. “We are pleased to confirm that Australian citizen Ms Cheng Lei has arrived safely home in Australia and has been reunited with her family,” Albanese said in a statement. Cheng had been on her way to work on the morning of August 13, 2020, when she was taken by China’s Ministry of State Security, according to her partner Nick Coyle. Her release follows the completion of legal process in China, according to the Australian statement. Shortly afterwards, China’s Ministry of State Security said in a statement that Cheng was deported Wednesday after completing her sentence.

Persons: Cheng Lei, Anthony Albanese, Ms Cheng Lei, ” Albanese, “, Cheng, CGTN, Nick Coyle, –, Wang Wenbin, Wang, ” Wang, Coyle, Cheng “, ”, ” “ Organizations: CNN, China’s Ministry of State Security, ”, China’s Foreign, Tullamarine, of Foreign Affairs, Trade Australian, Canberra, Observers, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Sky News Locations: China, Australia, Beijing, Melbourne, Australian, Sky News Australia, FreeChengLei

☆ Joe Biden has a decision to make about Julian Assange
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

A small group of lawyers and media executives gathered in a well-appointed back room to listen to Gabriel Shipton, Assange's half-brother. In the case of Vault 7, WikiLeaks' source turned out to be a disgruntled former C.I.A employee. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn New York, Gabriel Shipton, Assange's half-brother, declined to rule out the possibility of a plea deal. Every time the Australian government raises this issue, the Chinese government puts out a statement about Julian Assange. Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, right, was part of a delegation of Australian officials in the US to press for the release of Julian Assange.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, Gabriel Shipton, Tucker Carlson, Tucker, Shipton, he'd, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Monique Ryan, Albanese, Mike Pompeo, Caroline Kennedy, Der Spiegel, El Pais, David Hicks, Julian, John Shipton, Assange's, John, Gabriel, Brett Assange, Peter Whish, Wilson, We've, Robert Carr, Chelsea Manning's, Obama, We're, Cheng Lei, —, Chelsea Manning, Manning, What's, Julian Assange's, John MacDougall, …, they'd, he's, John Young, Laura Poitras's, Mueller, Robert Mueller's, John Podesta's, Bernie Sanders, John Koeltl, They've, Donald, Trump, we've, James Comey, Hillary Clinton, He's, I'm, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, I've, Putin, exfiltrate Assange, Julian wasn't, Dana Rohrabacher, Rohrabacher, Jennifer Robinson, Tracey Nearmy, we'd, Marjorie Taylor, Greene, Antony Blinken, Biden, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, WikiLeaks, Washington Post, Washington, DOJ, The Washington, Australia's Labor Party, New, Biden, Senate Intelligence, Justice Department, New York Times, Guardian, Chelsea, Pentagon, Getty, Justice, The State Department, Laura Poitras's WikiLeaks, State Department, DNC, Democratic, Committee, Democratic National Convention, of, Russian Federation, Novaya Gazeta, Trump, CIA, The Justice Locations: New York, London, Assange's, Pacific, Ecuadorian, Washington, Russia, Australia, Shipton, Brig, Chelsea, Iraq, Australian, China, American, Moscow, Getty Shipton, … Shipton, Cryptome, There's, Southern, of New York, Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Panama, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ Australian PM to visit China this year after 'progress' on ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese along with the Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong smile during the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 6, 2023. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/Pool Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Australia and China have made progress in returning to "unimpeded trade" but more progress is needed, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday as he met Chinese Premier Li Qiang at a regional summit in Indonesia. "The progress we have made in resuming unimpeded trade is good for both countries and we want to see that progress continue," Albanese said in his opening comments at the meeting. Li said he welcomed Albanese to visit China this year, and Albanese said he would. "I look forward to visiting China later this year to mark the 50th anniversary of Prime Minister Whitlam’s historic visit," Albanese said in a statement after the meeting, referring to the first visit to communist China by an Australian leader, then prime minister Gough Whitlam, in 1973.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Penny Wong, Willy Kurniawan, Li Qiang, Albanese, Li, Whitlam’s, " Albanese, Gough Whitlam, Cheng Lei, Yang Hengjun, Kirsty Needham, Robert Birsel Organizations: Australian, Australian Foreign, ASEAN Summit, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Australia, China

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Australia and China opened their first high-level dialogue in three years Thursday in a sign of a slight thaw to relations between countries that have clashed on everything from human rights to COVID-19 origins to trade. Australia's current Foreign Minister Penny Wong has sought to stabilize the two countries' relationship since her party won elections last year. China's and Australia’s relations sank to low depths during the pandemic. In response, China effectively blocked out Australian barley in 2020 by imposing an 80.5% tariff, widely regarded in Australia as punishment. “We continue to advocate for positive progress on the cases of Australians detained in China,” Emerson said.

Persons: ”, Craig Emerson, Li Zhaoxing, Penny Wong, Anthony Albanese, China's Premier Li Qiang, “, Premier Li, ” Albanese, Xi Jinping, Cheng Lei, ” Emerson Organizations: —, Australian, U.S, Australia's, China's Premier, Association of Southeast, Nations, Huawei Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, — Australia, China, Beijing, U.S, Australia, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Asia, asia

CNN —A Chinese-Australian writer who has been detained in China for more than four years said he fears he could die in jail, after a large cyst was found on his kidney. Yang Hengjun, an Australian citizen and democracy activist, was detained in 2019 during a visit to see family in China and charged with espionage – accusations Yang has denied. “Yang Hengjun has been subjected to arbitrary detention in China by Chinese secret police for more than four years and his life is in danger,” he said. Yang is one of two Australians currently detained in China. Cheng Lei, an Australian TV anchor who worked for China’s state broadcaster CGTN, is accused of illegally supplying state secret overseas and has been detained for three years.

Persons: Yang Hengjun, Yang, ” Yang, Feng Chongyi, “ Yang Hengjun, ”, “, ’, Anthony Albanese, Xi Jinping, ” Albanese, Cheng Lei Organizations: CNN, University of Technology, Australian, Group, Chinese Foreign Ministry, CGTN Locations: Australian, China, Beijing, won’t, Sydney, New Delhi, United States

☆ Australian journalist held in China writes 'love letter' home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Australian journalist Cheng Lei poses for a selfie at an unknown location in this undated handout photograph obtained by Reuters on August 11, 2023. Nicholas Coyle/Handout via REUTERSSYDNEY, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Australian journalist Cheng Lei, detained in China on national security charges, has described how standing in sunlight for just 10 hours a year feels in a "love letter" to her country. Her first public statement since her arrest came in what she called a "love letter to 25 million people" which was dictated to consular staff during a visit and released by her partner. The Australian government has repeatedly raised concerns about her detention, which came as China widened blocks on Australian exports amid a diplomatic dispute that is gradually easing. Albanese on Sunday said the barley decision was positive, but he wanted "other impediments to be removed ... included in that, the detention of the Australians, including Cheng Lei".

Persons: Cheng Lei, Nicholas Coyle, Handout, Cheng, I've, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Nick Coyle, Lei, Coyle, Penny Wong, Ms Cheng, Wong, Kirsty Needham, John Stonestreet, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS SYDNEY, Sunday, China - Australia Business Council, Thomson Locations: Australian, China, Beijing, Canberra, Australia

CNN —Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei, who will have spent three years in detention in China as of Sunday, said in a rare message that she misses her family and life in Australia. Coyle told CNN the message had been dictated to diplomatic officers and shared with him. “I can’t believe I used to avoid the sun when I was living back in Australia,” Cheng’s message said. In her letter released Thursday, Cheng spoke fondly of her life in Australia, writing “I miss the Australian people.”“I remember camping for the first time with my family,” she writes. Coyle told CNN that he is only able to hear from Cheng after her consular visits, which happen once a month.

Persons: Cheng Lei, “, ”, Nick Coyle, FreeChengLei, Coyle, Cheng, ” Cheng, CGTN, ” Coyle Organizations: CNN, China’s Ministry of State Security, Australian Locations: China, Australia

China's Ministry of State Security on Tuesday said China should encourage its citizens to join counter-espionage work, including creating channels for individuals to report suspicious activity and rewarding them for doing do. A system that makes it "normal" for regular people to participate in counter-espionage should be established, the ministry said. That followed an expansion of China's counter-espionage law that took effect in July and bans the transfer of information it sees as related to national security. It has alarmed the United States, which has warned that foreign companies in China could be punished for regular business activities. China's declaration that it is under threat from spies comes as Western nations, most prominently the United States, accuse China of espionage and cyberattacks, a charge that Beijing has rejected.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Mark Schiefelbein, Matt Miller, Cheng Lei, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Mark Porter, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: China's Ministry of State Security, Astellas Pharma, Thomson Locations: United States, Diaoyutai, Beijing, China

☆ China wants to mobilise entire nation in counter-espionage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Aug 1 (Reuters) - China should encourage its citizens to join counter-espionage work, including creating channels for individuals to report suspicious activity as well as commending and rewarding them, the state security ministry said on Tuesday. Australian journalist Cheng Lei, accused by China for providing state secrets to another country, has been detained since September 2020. China's declaration that it is under threat from spies comes as Western nations, most prominently the United States, accuse China of espionage and cyberattacks, a charge that Beijing has rejected. The United States itself is the "empire of hacking," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson has said. In protecting itself from espionage, China would need the participation of its people in building a defence line, the state security ministry wrote in its WeChat post.

Persons: State Security Chen Yixin, Chen, Cheng Lei, Ryan Woo, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: of State Security, State Security, Communist Party of China, Astellas Pharma, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, United States, Beijing

☆ Australian prime minister's visit to China to be locked in at 'appropriate time'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, June 25 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday that he would set the date for a China visit at an "appropriate time" as he stressed the importance of bilateral trade and expressed concerns about an Australian journalist detained in Beijing. Talks are under way about a visit by Albanese to China as Australia's centre-left Labor government pushes to end unofficial Chinese bans and tariffs placed on some Australian products in 2020 during a lowpoint in diplomatic relations. Australia continued to advocate for the removal of any impediments to trade between the "two great nations", Albanese added. China in May said it was set to resume imports of Australian timber days after Trade Minister Don Farrell returned from a trip to Beijing. A visit by Foreign Minister Penny Wong in December was followed weeks later by the resumption of coal shipments.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Cheng Lei, it's, Don Farrell, Penny Wong, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian, Labor, NATO, Vilnius, Sky News, Trade, Foreign, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Lithuanian, Australia

☆ Russia and China hit back at a G7 that saw them as a threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Moscow and Beijing lashed out against the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, where leaders of major democracies pledged new measures targeting Russia and spoke in one voice on their growing concerns over China. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday slammed the G7 for indulging in their “own greatness” with an agenda that aimed to “deter” Russia and China. G7 member countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Concern about such incidents was reflected in the G7 statement on ensuring economic security and countering economic coercion, which did not explicitly mention China. “The bottom line is that the G7 has shown it will increasingly focus on China and will try to maintain a coordinated policy approach.

☆ Australia trade minister flies to China to lobby for 'full' restoration of exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Trade Minister Don Farrell arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a three-day visit to meet with his counterpart, Wang Wentao, according to the Chinese commerce ministry. It’s the first visit to China by an Australian trade minister since 2019. “I will be advocating strongly for the full resumption of unimpeded Australian exports to China — for all sectors — to the benefit of both countries,” he added. As a result, Australian exports to China fell by 13% in 2022, compared to the previous year, according to Chinese customs data. In March, Australia’s exports to China hit a record high, with the value of shipments reaching 19 billion Australian dollars ($12.8 billion).

☆ Australian journalist nears 1,000 days in detention in China on state secrets charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

read moreHer arrest by state security in September 2020 came as China widened blocks on Australian exports amid a diplomatic dispute, but the barriers are falling now, with a visit by Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell planned. China has previously said Australia should respect China's judicial sovereignty, adding that her legal rights were being upheld. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Cheng had shown "great resilience and courage", and the Australian government was concerned by the delay. Born in China, Cheng moved with her scientist parents to Australia as a 10-year-old. "No light has been shed on the allegations" against Cheng after three years, said former trade minister Simon Birmingham, whom she interviewed on his visits to China.

☆ Cheng Lei: Family urges China to release Australian TV anchor detained for 1,000 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Friends and family of Australian television anchor Cheng Lei on Monday renewed calls for her release from detention in China, 1,000 days after she was held by authorities on espionage charges. Australian authorities have expressed concern about her detention amid suggestions from analysts that strained ties between Canberra and Beijing may have provided impetus for the opaque case against her. While there were still some Australian journalists working in China, all are employed by non-Australian media companies. Cheng’s two children are being cared for by their grandmother in Melbourne, Australian public broadcaster ABC reported at the time of her original detention. “For a mother not to see her children for 1000 days is excruciating.

☆ Australia concerned by delays in trial of journalist detained in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

2 Intermediate People's Court, where Australian journalist Cheng Lei is expected to face trial on state secrets charges, in Beijing, China March 31, 2022. REUTERS/Florence LoSYDNEY, March 31 (Reuters) - Australia said it has "deep concerns" about delays in the case of Australian journalist Cheng Lei who faced a closed door trial in Beijing on national security charges a year ago. "We share the deep concerns of Ms. Cheng's family and friends about the ongoing delays in her case," Wong said. Cheng, who has been detained in Beijing since her arrest in 2020, has two young children living in Australia. She was born in China and moved with her parents to Australia as a child.

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