Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has taken aim at Chinese officials' 'clumsy' and 'ham fisted' attempt to block Sky News journalist Cheng Lei's view of a press conference, but appeared to brush off the altercation - pointing to a difference in 'values' and 'political systems'.
'Different values and different political systems': Anthony Albanese appears to shrug off Cheng Lei question after her view of media event was blocked by Chinese diplomats
Footage emerged of the tense altercation which appeared to show a Chinese embassy official impeding Ms Lei's view as she was sitting in an area assigned for media representatives during a document signing ceremony. The Prime Minister addressed the incident again on Tuesday during an interview with Perth's Nova 93.7.
Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson said Mr Albanese's initial denial of knowing anything happened on Monday was a"crude and clumsy attempt to evade scrutiny". "I don't believe the Prime Minister, unless every one of his 11 media advisers are guilty of the most serious professional malpractice of allowing the Prime Minister to go and face a press gallery press pack, including Cheng Lei, and didn't bother to tell him about the serious incident involving Cheng Lei only an hour earlier," he told Sky News Australia on Monday evening.
“I think maybe in areas, they would be keeping tabs on me about what I’m doing, what I’m writing, what my views are,” she told AM Agenda's Laura Jayes on Monday morning.
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