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Sky News AU
01-06-2025
- General
- Sky News AU
Sky News host Cheng Lei recalls horrifying moments leading up to her arrest in Beijing on wrongful espionage charges
I woke feeling awful – period pain plus an infection. I checked my phone: 5 am in Beijing – 7 am in Melbourne. I called Mum and my kids in Melbourne. Six months earlier, in February, Ava and Alex had gone to Australia for a two-week holiday because schools were not restarting in Beijing due to Covid. Then China shut its borders and their return flights were cancelled. They were stuck in Melbourne, and I was in Beijing. I missed them terribly. As Dire Straits sang in 'So Far Away', I was in the sun and they were in the rain. I needed to give love and I couldn't. I wanted to give my mum a break. I wanted to tell the kids jokes and stories and take endless photos of them goofing off. I wanted to be busy in the kitchen again. And for there to be heaps of stuff on the dining table – kids' school bags, sports gear, half-finished snacks. I wanted to be in their bedroom, wondering when they were going to finally zonk out in little puffs of sleepy breaths. I wanted to decline dinner invitations because I was on mummy duty. I wanted to feel like I'd done a half-decent job of parenting instead of the leaden guilt of 'What if I'd flown them back to China a week earlier before everything changed '? 'Mum, when are we coming back to Beijing? Alex doesn't listen to Grandma and is always threatening to destroy my Lego creations!' Ava sounded like what she was – a bored, annoyed preteen elder sister. 'I'm doing all I can. I've just written to an important ministry, and hope to have good news soon. I miss cooking for you kids.' I closed my eyes as another wave of pain gripped my insides. 'Mummy's hurting. Say you love Mummy,' I said to my eight-year-old son. 'Tell her you love her,' I heard my mum say. Alex whispered something affectionate – or did he? Then the call ended – Mum has a habit of not saying goodbye. I took some pills and dozed off. Four hours later I woke up, woozy from the post-painkiller deep sleep. I checked my phone. The screen brimmed alarmingly with notifications. Messages from all and sundry urged me to come to work immediately to see Mr Fan, the director of China Global Television Network (CGTN), the international division of the state-owned Chinese Central Television (CCTV) that I worked for. Apparently, he was very interested in the new TV series I'd proposed about cooking and dining with ambassadors. It was my brainchild and I was keen to get it off the ground. 'Why does it have to be today?' I groaned as I dragged myself out of bed. Discomfort aside, I was excited that the head honcho was eager to talk about the show. I showered quickly and threw on my go-to black shift dress, simple earrings and nude pumps. A quick scan around the room – I would clear up the mess later. There was no time for breakfast; just pin up the hair, a swipe of mascara and lipstick. For tennis later I'd need a change of outfit and my water bottle. All this plus my work pass went into a canvas holdall. Heading out of the apartment building, the air was pleasantly cool – Beijing's summers end early. It was the best time of year, 'the autumn sky high and the air crisp', as the Chinese say. The smog meter app – usually a must for living in the polluted capital – was unnecessary in this season. Leaving the tackily named Global Trade Mansion compound, I hit the moderately busy streets of the CBD. This was a well-heeled part of the eastern side of town: 'the East is rich and the West is smart', as the saying about Beijing goes. Embassies, multinationals, Starbucks and five-star hotels. Usually, it took me only ten minutes to walk to my work. But with every senior manager chasing me, I thought I better take a cab. Mr Yang, the news director, had sounded very serious in his phone message – I guessed the channel boss was chasing him. I'd known Mr Yang for eighteen years. He was the man who'd interviewed me at CCTV English back in 2002 when I was a bored accountant trying to get into journalism. After learning the ropes of TV at CCTV, I'd moved to Singapore and later Shanghai as China correspondent for the US business news channel CNBC. But I always had a soft spot for the employer who gave me my first break, so when CCTV English offered me a position in 2012, I returned to Beijing. Since then, I'd been working as an anchor on the Global Business show at CGTN (CCTV English rebranded). The cab stopped outside CCTV headquarters. Costing nine hundred million US dollars, the fifty-one-storey Rem Koolhaas building is nicknamed 'Big Pants' for its shape. As I entered the empty stadium-sized lobby, I rehearsed my elevator pitch for the series in my head. My phone buzzed. Mr Yang again. Did I know where the meeting room was? In fact, I didn't – I avoided meetings and paid scant attention to where they were held. The room was in the 'crotch' of the building. I took one of the building's ninety-six lifts to the thirty-seventh floor, found the room, knocked and entered. I'd been expecting a one-on-one with Mr Fan. Instead, perhaps twenty people were sitting around a twelve-metre-long table. Now they were staring at me with stern expressions. An unremarkable-looking man with a dark complexion stood and held up a badge that I couldn't read. 'Cheng Lei,' he said in a very officious tone, 'I am informing you on behalf of the Beijing State Security Bureau that you are being investigated for supplying state secrets to foreign organisations'. As I stood there like a stunned mullet, two people appeared beside me and seized my phone and bag. As at other times in my life when faced with a far-out situation, I remained calm, removed. Perhaps we freak out only at ordinary things because we know the consequences aren't so grave. Perhaps my work had trained me to not show shock when s*** happens – we experience more dramas producing a half-hour show than many people do in a month. Perhaps I thought it would be explained away soon. The charges sounded ominous but I knew I had done no such thing. I was trusted by my bosses, liked by my co-workers and respected in the industry. My world of business news had nothing to do with state security, surely? Six months had passed since Wuhan's initial Covid lockdown. Masks were no longer required at work, but these men and women wore them. They showed nothing in their demeanour. Before I was escorted away, my news director, a woman who had always appreciated my work, nodded at me with a 'sorry, I can't help you' expression. 'Just explain to them and you'll be all right,' she said. That was vaguely reassuring. As I stepped into a lift with the security officials, I was trying to appear brave and unaffected. Inwardly, I was even a little excited – 'Wait till I tell people about this!' – imagining how I'd give a blow-by-blow with drink in hand, enjoying the shocked looks of dinner guests. A journo is always on the lookout for stories. We're somewhat addicted to the risky, wacky and dodgy, and while not hoping to become a story, we're not scared of the idea. I surveyed the stiffs around me with disdain. I knew they were from the Ministry of State Security (MSS), an organisation considered by foreign journalists to be murky and slightly ridiculous. The MSS operatives I'd encountered or heard about tended to be young attractive types who'd try to 'have tea' with you and pose veiled questions about what you were covering and who you were interviewing. These people were different – older, ordinary-looking. The lift stopped at the carpark and I was ushered towards a pair of newish BMW 7 series sedans. 'Nice ride – so the MSS has a fat budget', I thought to myself, something I'd always suspected but had now been confirmed. Should I feel flattered that they'd brought out the flash wheels to nab me? What was this really about? Only later did my mind turn to my conversation with the kids earlier in the day. What little importance we attach to daily chit-chats with our loved ones, muscle-memory boiler-plate I-love-yous, AI-generated niceties sent with a tap, or even angry recriminations, snide comebacks said with the casualness of being able to go back and make up later. Until it is the last message before a sudden calamity. The documentary 'Cheng Lei: My Story' will be available to watch on Foxtel, Sky News Regional, Sky News Now, or online with a Streaming Subscription, from Tuesday 3 June from 7:30pm AEST.
Barnama
21-05-2025
- Business
- Barnama
CGTN: China's Path To Modernisation Through High-Quality Development, Efficient Governance
KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised the importance of high-quality development and efficient governance during his recent inspection tour of Henan Province, as reported by China Global Television Network (CGTN). In a statement, CGTN said the tour spotlighted the region's strides in modern manufacturing, scientific innovation, and public sector efficiency as part of China's broader modernisation goals. A key stop on the visit was Luoyang Bearing Group Co Ltd, a traditional manufacturer that has embraced digital transformation and industrial upgrading. The firm now operates a leading domestic bearing test platform for sectors such as aerospace, wind power, and new energy vehicles, and has achieved full digitalisation using technologies such as 5G Industrial Internet of Things (IoT). President Xi lauded the company's innovations and called for deeper efforts in core technological breakthroughs and independent innovation. Xi's visit highlighted the province's role in spearheading new productive forces. Henan currently boasts over 12,000 high-tech enterprises, 27 provincial laboratories, and has seen a 62.3 per cent annual growth in technology contract transaction volume. These advances are driving sectors such as new materials, biomedicine and food technology. To support the private sector, Henan recently launched an action plan focused on innovation, market development, and talent attraction. Xi urged local leaders to align sci-tech innovation with regional strengths to build a modern industrial system. Cultural preservation was also a theme of Xi's tour. He visited White Horse Temple and the Longmen Grottoes, praising efforts to integrate culture and tourism as a means to strengthen both identity and the local economy. On governance, Xi underscored the need for efficient, law-based, and intelligent public administration. Henan has implemented smart governance tools, such as artificial intelligence-powered service platforms, to improve service delivery and reduce bureaucratic burdens on local communities. These initiatives reflect a national trend toward e-governance and rule-of-law-driven social management. As China prepares for its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), Xi reiterated the importance of harmonising development and security, ensuring that modernisation is supported by effective grassroots governance and social stability.
Barnama
30-04-2025
- Science
- Barnama
CGTN: Call Grows For Repatriation Of Ancient Chinese Manuscripts
KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 (Bernama) -- Renewed calls for the repatriation of the Chu Silk Manuscripts, an over 2,000-year-old Chinese cultural artefact currently held in the United States (US), have drawn international attention following new evidence presented by Chinese and American scholars. The manuscripts, believed to be the only known silk texts from China's Warring States period (475 to 221 BC), were reportedly looted from an ancient tomb in Changsha, Hunan Province, in 1942. The artefact was later smuggled to the US in 1946 by American collector John Hadley Cox, following its acquisition under contentious circumstances in Shanghai. In a report published by China Global Television Network (CGTN), researchers traced the full journey of the manuscripts—from their discovery at a site known as Zidanku to their current location at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. Chinese scholar Professor Li Ling of Peking University, who has spent over four decades researching the manuscripts, presented a detailed chain of evidence confirming their origin and ownership, according to a statement. His findings were supported by Professor Donald Harper of the University of Chicago, who in 2024 submitted a crucial artefact—an original storage box lid used by Cox—which helped corroborate the timeline. "The Zidanku Silk Manuscripts clearly belong to China and should be returned," said Prof Harper during the International Conference on the Protection and Return of Cultural Objects Removed from Colonial Contexts, held in Qingdao last year. The manuscripts, which date back approximately 2,300 years, are considered a unique record of ancient Chinese cosmology and ritual practices, predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by over a century. Attempts to return the manuscript were previously made by American physician and art collector Dr Arthur M. Sackler, who acquired the artefact in 1966. Although he made multiple efforts to repatriate it to China, they were ultimately unfulfilled due to logistical and personal circumstances. Currently housed in the Sackler Gallery, the manuscript is listed on the museum's website as an "anonymous gift" with 'provenance research underway'.
See - Sada Elbalad
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Iran's foreign minister to visit China tomorrow
Basant Ahmed The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi will begin a visit to Beijing tomorrow at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported in its English-language broadcast that the two sides are scheduled to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations, as well as international and regional issues of common concern. For his part, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that this visit is of great significance in deepening mutual political trust between the two countries. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Videos & Features Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO) Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China Attacks Trump With Sassy AI-Generated Music Video
As the world economy reels from President Donald Trump's so-called "reciprocal tariffs," the trade war between China and the US is escalating to new heights. Nowhere is that more evident than in China's wild clapback in the form of an AI-generated music video blasting the United States, which came hours after Trump announced a 34 percent tax on Chinese imports. The English-language China Global Television Network (CGTN) released the song, called "Look What You Taxed Us Through" ahead of Wall Street's worst single-day performance since 2020, during the throes of the pandemic. The song's lyrics are written from the point of view of an American consumer, blasting Trump's economic policy and daily life in the US more broadly. While the music video is AI-generated — a fact the CGTN advertises, unlike some American slopaganda — it also makes use of clips and audio from real sources like Trump rallies, Tesla protests, and American social media. "Groceries cost a kidney, gas a lung. Your 'deals'? Just hot air from your tongue," the song opens, overlaid with B-roll from Tesla protests and audio from inflation-wary Americans. It continues: "Elon's satellites crash, Bezos' wealth sinks, the GDP's limping, the Fed's out of tricks, your 'patriot tax' made Wall Street sick." While harsh remarks from US officials and mainstream media about China are nothing new, China rarely hits back with this much vinegar. Its appeal to US citizens to question their economy is clear: "CEOs buy yachts, we can't afford a stew!" But Beijing's retaliatory strategy goes far beyond campy propaganda. China has matched the US' tariffs with 34 percent tariffs on its own, sharply escalating a seven-year trade war. It also announced controls on rare earth exports, which could be a major blow for American manufacturing, as China produces about 90 percent of the world's refined rare earth metal. Unfortunately for people in the US, the CGTN's depiction isn't far off. Responding to the terrible rotten stock market dive, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell noted that Trump's tariffs are "larger than expected," adding that increased inflation, lost jobs, and stagnant economic growth are likely. "We face a highly uncertain outlook with elevated risks of both higher unemployment and higher inflation," Powell fretted. US business leaders were a little less restrained. "There will be blood," was the message from JP Morgan's Bruce Kasman, whose team released an analysis of the tariffs on Thursday. They warned that the risk of a recession has skyrocketed from an already uncomfortable 40 percent to a whopping 60. "At a basic level," Kasman's team calls the tariffs a functional tax increase on US citizens and businesses. So far, Trump's tariffs have wiped $2.5 trillion in US stock market value, and it's anyone's guess when we might hit the bottom. At least we'll get some crafty Chinese propaganda when we do. More on China: Tesla Forced to Change Name of "Full Self-Driving" in China, Since Its Cars Can't Fully Drive Themselves
