The ABC’s China Correspondent Bill Birtles has been rushed out of China, along with the AFR’s Mike Smith, over fears for their safety - police wanted interviews with both journos.
They touched down in Sydney just a short time ago.
Sarah Ferguson was to replace Bill Birtles as the ABC’s China correspondent, but her visa application was delayed due to COVID-19. I feel the latest incident could see the broadcaster reluctant to send a reporter to China, until relationship between the two countries improves.
MEAA condemns China’s expulsion of Australian journalists
MEAA is outraged at China’s expulsion of Australian journalists Bill Birtles of the ABC and Mike Smith of the Australian Financial Review and the arrest and secret detention of Australian journalist and CGTN news anchor Cheng Lei.
MEAA Media federal president Marcus Strom said: “The treatment of these Australian journalists, including a midnight police raid on the home of one journalist, is appalling. China’s continued intimidation and harassment of foreign journalists, including Australians, represents a dramatic low point for the foreign media’s relations with China in almost 50 years.
“The threats made by Chinese authorities, their interrogations, and the ban on leaving the country, forced the two journalists to seek refuge in diplomatic compounds until an agreement could be reached that allowed the pair to urgently return to Australia. The treatment of Cheng, an Australian citizen working for the Chinese state broadcaster, is particularly worrying as she has been detained in secret and little detail of why she was arrested has emerged.”
China’s attacks on foreign journalists have stepped up in the past two years. In February and March, 14 journalists working for US media were expelled from China, including Australian journalist and Wall Street Journal correspondent Philip Wen. Cheng was detained last week, and Australian journalist and MEAA Member Yang Hengjun was arrested in January 2019 and has been held without trial over allegations of espionage – he strongly vowed to fight the allegations last week.
Strom said: ‘It is clear that China, and by extension Hong Kong through the recent National Security Law, is unsafe for foreign journalists. These outrageous attacks on press freedom place any foreign correspondents reporting from China at risk. China is isolating itself from the world’s gaze and demonstrating it will not brook any scrutiny of its activities. It threatens and intimidates journalists using ‘national security’ as a catch-all excuse.
“This is an extremely disappointing development. It has come swiftly, it is extremely aggressive and it will do great harm to China’s reputation around the world,” Strom said.
ABC statement on Bill Birtles
Director, News Gaven Morris:
The ABC has brought back China Correspondent Bill Birtles to Australia following advice from the Australian Government.
This bureau is a vital part of the ABC’s international newsgathering effort and we aim to get back there as soon as possible. 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.
You’d think and ABC journalist being interviewed on ABC News would have the TV in the background on ABC News. 
Thank god they got out, the ABC under no circumstances should have their reporters in China, we wouldn’t be sending them to Nazi Germany. Have them stationed in Taiwan, in the past you could have put them in Hong Kong, but that great city is ruined now.
The ABC have been sending correspondents to China since 1973 so it’s incorrect to say the broadcaster should not have someone in the country under any circumstances. It’s only in the past 15-20 years that relationships between the Chinese government and foreign news outlets deteriorated.
I’m just glad they’re safe. Bill has done a great job covering the events in China for the past few years, which is quite difficult to do due to censorship.
We had hope China would join and become more democratic but the planes changed heading. It’s not safe for foreigners let alone Chinese citizens, especially if you don’t agree with the CCP or in the ten percent of minority groups.
Has Bill Birtles ever presented a news bulletin or an update previously to being overseas?
He’s working in the Sydney and Melbourne Newsrooms.
ABC News State Political Reporter on maternity leave ahead of election. Finished on a quite day 