The same day that Cheng Lei returned to Australia, the US condemned Beijing for its arrest of another target.
The same day that detained Australian journalist Cheng Lei returned to Australia this week after a three-year ordeal in a Chinese jail, the United States condemned Beijing for its arrest of another target.
They charged him with illegally crossing the border. “This is the result of 65 days of waiting, suffering and grief,” said Lu’s wife, Zhang Chunxiao. In Cheng’s case, it took weeks for the Australian government and her family to find out where she was. For Chinese authorities, this time is critical to extracting a confession that will speed any case through a criminal justice system that must maintain a conviction rate of 99 per cent.
The global condemnation has had little impact. China’s use of the RSDL system is more prolific than ever. Analysis of China’s official court records reveals that the number of people held under RSDL increased from up to 680 in 2013 to a maximum of 15,120 in 2020, including Cheng and the Australian pro-democracy writer Yang Hengjun. “I’m not guilty, but they treat me like dirt here, and they tortured me,” Yang said in a message last year.
Cheng was one of at least 55 Australians who are being held in Chinese jails. Alleged crimes range from drug dealing to national security. There are hundreds more from Japan, the US and Europe. But Olsson says the detentions, inspections, COVID-19 and trade disputes have changed the way Australia will do business with China.
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