How Will Australia get Cheng Lei Released?

Cheng has been held in China for two years with no news

t's been two years since CGTN Chinese-born Australian anchor Cheng Lei was detained in Beijing with no word on not only her whereabouts, but also her health and wellbeing.

Her two children in Australia drew pictures for her, writing that they missed her. They have not heard from her for two years, which is a lifetime for them.

Cheng is accused of illegally supplying state secrets overseas. Her family maintains she is innocent. 

Cheng's daughter drew a picture for her

In March, a closed-door trial was held where Australian diplomats were barred from attending.

At the time Australia's ambassador to China Graham Fletcher voiced his concerns about the secrecy of the trial and that Canberra would continue to advocate for her rights and interests.

And then in mid-June, a statement from the Chinese embassy in Washington said that Cheng's colleague Haze Fan who was also arrested on charges of "endangering state security" in July 2021, was released on bail back in January. 

Only announcing this six months later suggested that perhaps Fan was being held under house arrest for several months, but also that she was still under investigation. 

The situation with Cheng seems to be similar to Canada and the two Michaels, Kovrig and Spavor detained for more than two years in a bid to get Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou back.

Fan was released on bail back in January

What do the Chinese want with Australia?

As China showed off its military hardware in the skies and sea around the Taiwan Straits following US Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit last week, the Chinese ambassador to France to issue a chilling warning.

In French he explained that once China took over Taiwan, the people would be "re-educated" -- a word that has been used for Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and currently in Hong Kong.

This threat was reiterated again by the Chinese Ambassador to Australia:

"Once Taiwan is reunited, coming back to the motherland, there might be a process for the people in Taiwan to have a correct understanding of China," he said.

What this means for Australia is that China will take Taiwan back by all possible means, including force if necessary, and what is the nation Down Under going to do about it, also keeping in mind Cheng is being detained.

Is she being used as a political pawn to further China's ambitions with Taiwan? Will Australia stand idly by?

Ardent plea by Cheng's daughter for her to return

If it hasn't already, Australia needs to figure out what its position is, and what it's going to do to get Cheng released.

The veiled threat against democracy is not to be ignored or taken lightly. But at the same time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, China is being crippled economically because of its "zero-Covid" strategy that doesn't seem to be working.