Cheng Lei: Australian TV presenter finally returns home to Melbourne after being locked up in China for three years in a ‘black jail’ accused of spying

Australian journalist Cheng Lei has arrived safely in Australia after she was detained in China for three years.

Anthony Albanese made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon, confirming he had spoken to Ms Lei who flew into Melbourne to be reunited with her two children.

Mr Albanese said Foreign Minister had welcomed the journalist back home at the airport, with the PM speaking to her himself.

Ms Lei, who worked as CNBC’s China correspondent, had been accused of illegally supplying state secrets overseas and was detained by the Chinese Ministry of State Security in August, 2020.

The charge was widely considered to be part of the one party state’s grim policy of using ‘hostage diplomacy’ to leverage democratic nations like Australia that are deemed hostile.

More to come