‘If she cared for her kids, she wouldn’t have spied’: China insight into detained Aussie amid release talks

City of Whitehorse councillor Blair Barker says a Chinese consular official let slip a spying allegation against detained Australian Cheng Lei in a rare departure from the Chinese Communist Party line on the matter.

Acting Consul General to the People’s of Republic of China, Zeng Jianhua (R), was asked about the detainment of Australian journalist Cheng Lei (L) at a Lunar New Year event on Saturday. Credit: AAP/Aaron Wan

Key Points

• Mr Barker says he asked about the welfare of detained Australian Cheng Lei at a Lunar New Year event in Box Hill over the weekend
• A Chinese consular official reportedly told Mr Barker that if Ms Cheng 'cared about her kids, she wouldn't have spied'
• No stranger to controversy, Mr Barker says he was banned from WeChat after previously calling for an end to foreign flags, including that of the People’s Republic of China, from flying above Box Hill Town Hall

Mr Barker told SBS Chinese that he had approached Acting Consul General to the People’s of Republic of China, Zeng Jianhua, over detained Australian journalist in mainland China, Cheng Lei, at a Lunar New Year function on Saturday.

Mr Barker said he told Mr Zeng that he felt Ms Cheng had the right to be with her Melbourne-based children who had not seen their mother since August 2020 following charges of leaking state secrets.

Acting Chinese Consul General Zeng Jianhua speaking at the Box Hill Lunar New Year event on Saturday. Credit: Aaron Wan

He says he approached the Acting Consul General in a VIP area following the opening ceremony of a Lunar New Year festival attended by large sections of the Melbourne’s Chinese community and Australian politicians including prime minister Anthony Albanese who made a surprise visit.

Mr Barker said he thanked Mr Zeng for attending the event before confronting him about Ms Cheng and the fact that she was missing out on Lunar New Year celebrations in Australia, which is a time for family bonding.

“(Lei’s) kids live locally and we need her back. It’s a big issue,” Mr Barker said he told Mr Zeng, before adding that he objected to her closed Beijing trial on March 31 last year and demanded mainland China “… give her back to her kids.”

He told SBS Chinese that Mr Zeng responded to him by saying: “… if she cared for her kids, she wouldn’t have spied”.

He said that it was the first time he had ever met the Chinese official whose reported out-of-Chinese official line remarks come as bilateral relations between China and Australia “warm up from freezing point”.

Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian had recently said at a Lunar New Year press briefing at the Chinese embassy in Canberra that he hoped a solution to the detention of Ms Cheng and fellow Australian Yang Hengjun would soon emerge.

China’s previous official response to Cheng’s detainment had been that judicial authorities were handling the cases in accordance with Chinese law and the lawful rights of relevant individuals were under full protection.

After a flying visit to Beijing just before Christmas last year to see her Chinese counterpart, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the Australian government would continue to push for the release of the two Australians as well as seek more regular consular visits.

“Regular dialogue and engagement are essential to avoid miscommunication and take forward the bilateral relationship,” the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told SBS Chinese after Qin Gang replace Wang Yi as China’s foreign affairs minister on December 30.

SBS Chinese contacted consular officials in Melbourne and Canberra but did not receive a response by deadline.