After seven Chinese State Security police officers arrived at my door at midnight, I realised the concerns about my safety were real. What happened next was unprecedented, writes Bill Birtles.
I did this and the person on the other end of the phone seemed to expect it, as though they were reading off a script.
But over the weekend the Chinese request to interview me remained a key sticking point. As a result, the focus shifted on how to ensure my safety while I went to meet them.Birtles and Brant Cumming were put in quarantine in their homes after reporting on coronavirus in South Korea earlier this year. I wasn't going there alone — there were arrangements in place — but the police wouldn't permit anyone else I was with to go beyond the lobby.
The main officer was the same older cop who knocked on my door at midnight and told me in a thick Beijing accent that we want to "have a discussion".
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