Detained Aussie anchor facing 'an appalling prospect' in Beijing

Political consultant Jim Middleton says it is unlikely that a swift resolution will be achieved to release high-profile Australian journalist Cheng Lei from detention in Beijing.

Ms Lei, who worked as an anchor at Chinese state-owned broadcast channel CGTN, was placed under residential detention after eight years of service at the English-speaking news channel.

“It’s an appalling prospect for Cheng Lei, for her family as well, we just have to hope that given all the sensitivities that are around that this can be resolved relatively quickly,” Mr Middleton told Sky News.

“I suspect it is also tied up, to some degree, with the state of relations more broadly.

“It’s a predicament where the likelihood of early resolution you’d have to say is far fetched indeed.”

He said when he worked with Beijing reporters in a former role with Sky News, "they were always worried about crossing the line, but the problem for them was they never really knew where the line was”.

“I find it perplexing in this particular case that Cheng Lei largely was, and is, a business reporter, not dealing with matters of security and politics very much,” he said.

“You would have thought that covering business that would be the least likely area where she would run into trouble and yet she has.”

Image: News Corp Australia

Видео Detained Aussie anchor facing 'an appalling prospect' in Beijing канала Sky News Australia