BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Thursday that the Australian embassy in China obstructed its law enforcement when it intervened on behalf of two journalists who returned home +to Australia on Monday.
A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said the actions of the embassy went beyond the scope of regular consular services and called on the Australian side to give an explanation.
The two correspondents for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Australian Financial Review (AFR) sheltered in the embassy in Beijing and the consulate in Shanghai while diplomats negotiated with Chinese officials to allow them to leave the country, Australia’s Foreign Minister said.
The two journalists were questioned by China’s state security ministry prior to their departure in relation to the case of Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist currently detained in China.
(Reporting by Gabriel Crossley; Editing by Alex Richardson)
