The last two journalists working for Australian media in China have left the country after police demanded interviews with them and temporarily blocked their departures, the Australian government and their employers said.
In this image made from a video, The Australian Financial Review journalist Michael Smith speaks to the media on his arrival at Sydney airport, Australia Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. Smith and Australian Broadcasting Corp. journalist Bill Birtles, the last two journalists working for Australian media in China have left the country after police demanded interviews with them, the Australian government and Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Tuesday.
Australian Embassy officials in Beijing told Birtles last week that he should leave China, ABC reported. Birtles and Smith both agreed to give police a brief interview in return for being allowed to leave the country. Australia’s travel warning of the risk of arbitrary detention in China “remains appropriate and unchanged,” she added.
“The story of China, its relationship with Australia and its role in our region and in the world is one of great importance for all Australians and we want to continue having our people on the ground to cover it,” he added. Australia’s journalist union, Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, said China was no longer safe for foreign reporters.
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