On Monday, June 17, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held a meeting at the Parliament House in Canberra. During the signing of documents and press conference at the Australia-China event, a video circulating online showed Australian Chinese journalist Cheng Lei, who had been detained by the Chinese authorities for over three years, being deliberately obstructed by Chinese officials, sparking media discussions.
According to a video released by Australian Sky News, Cheng Lei appeared at the Parliament House during the signing of Australia-China documents and the press conference, sitting in the designated area for media representatives.
The video showed that at the beginning of the signing ceremony, two individuals referred to as Chinese embassy officials by Sky News stood in front of Cheng Lei, attempting to completely block her from view, ensuring she was not captured by the camera or seen by Albanese and Li Keqiang.
In the video, the two individuals awkwardly positioned for obstruction were identified as a woman in a dark brown suit with glasses and a man in a blue suit. Australian officials repeatedly sternly requested these Chinese officials to leave, but their requests were refused.
As shown in the video, after Cheng Lei exchanged seats with other journalists, the two Chinese officials again tried to stand by Cheng Lei’s right side to obstruct her, but were blocked by Australian officials. During this time, the two Chinese embassy officials displayed awkward smiles, persisted in attempting to move closer despite being blocked by Australian officials, and even pushed the Australian staff multiple times, drawing attention from onlookers.
According to an ABC Chinese report from Australia, during the press conference convened by Prime Minister Albanese, Cheng Lei from Australian Sky News was the first journalist allowed to ask questions. Whether this arrangement by the Australian side was a random selection or a response to the recent “shameless” obstructive behavior by the Chinese side remains unknown to the public.
Cheng Lei asked Albanese, “What measures are being taken by both sides to ensure that bilateral relations do not encounter further hurdles?”
Albanese responded, “I believe that maintaining dialogue is helpful. When people engage in direct discussions about some of our disagreements and events in a very straightforward manner, dialogue is always positive.” He cited issues such as human rights and the case of Australian Yang Hengjun, who was sentenced to death by the Chinese authorities, stating his opposition to the death penalty.
In February 2024, Australian writer Yang Hengjun was sentenced to death by the Chinese authorities after being detained for five years on espionage charges, with a two-year suspension of the execution. Yang Hengjun himself has consistently denied engaging in espionage activities.
Following the incident, Cheng Lei told Sky News, “I can only speculate that this was to prevent me from saying or doing something that they (the Chinese authorities) find embarrassing, but the act itself is embarrassing.”
Explaining why she was obstructed to her colleagues at Sky News, Cheng Lei stated that the incident was “quite typical,” especially when the Chinese side places importance on a carefully orchestrated friendly image, ensuring that dissenting voices or controversial figures do not cause any damage to it.
During the press conference that day, Li Keqiang also announced unilateral visa-free entry for Australian passport holders for 15 days upon their arrival in China, as well as mutual provisions for three to five-year multiple-entry travel, business, and family visit visas between the two countries.
Faced with various groups protesting against the Chinese government’s tyranny outside the Parliament House, the “obstruction” drama that unfolded inside the Parliament House, and the Australian citizen sentenced to death by the mainland, netizens posed a soul-searching question, “With visa-free entry, are you daring to go to China?”