Chinese court to try Chinese Australian journalist next week

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese Australian journalist who has been held in China since August 2020 will be tried next week, the Australian government said Saturday. Cheng Lei, who was a prominent journalist for China’s state-run international network CGTN, was initially detained and later formally arrested on suspicion of supplying state secrets overseas. The Chinese government has notified Australia that her trial will be held on Thursday, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement posted online. Cheng was born in China and worked as an accountant and financial analyst in Australia before becoming a journalist in China.