Neil Mitchell weighs in on Australian journalist Cheng Lei’s detention in China

Image (Cheng Lei): Twitter – Cheng Lei

The detention of an Australian journalist in China has escalated tensions between the two countries, and Neil Mitchell says China is showing its true colours.

High profile television anchor, Cheng Lei, who works for CGTN, the Chinese government’s English news channel, has been locked up by authorities in Beijing.

The Australian government was formally informed of her detention on August 14, but Chinese officials still have not revealed the reason for her detention.

Mention of Ms Cheng’s TV anchor role has been removed from the CGTN website.

Neil Mitchell says the situation should concern Australians.

Press PLAY below for Neil’s full editorial.

“We don’t know what’s happened to her, we don’t know what she’s charged with, the family is baffled,” the 3AW Mornings host said.

“The Australian government is doing everything it can to help her, to find out what’s going on, to get her out.

“Australians have been warned they can be arrested in China and held without charge and this may well be what’s happened.

“This government does not believe in justice, it believes in retribution.

“Let’s hope that she, Cheng Lei, manages to survive the system and get out.

“It’s a brutal regime and it proves it regularly, and if we are supposedly in some sort of friendship with them then they should be dealing with Australia up front.”