Chinese officials appear to block journalist Cheng Lei

Australian Community Media

During the China Australia agreement signing ceremony at Parliament House, Chinese officials appeared to block the view of Australian journalist Cheng Lei who was detained in China for three years.

Transcript

00:00There are five of you who have signed today, but for those who have not signed, I ask that

00:15each of you please stand.

00:22The first government is the Memorandum of Understanding between China, Australia and the United States.

00:28The second government is the Memorandum of Understanding on Further Enhancement in

00:48China.

00:49This government is the chair and vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission

00:55and the Honourable Jim Chalmers, the Treasurer.

01:02Well, it's typical, right, with these events, especially if they're attaching importance

01:08to the friendly facade that they're, you know, carefully staging, that voices of discord

01:17or, you know, the presence of someone who's a bit controversial not harm that.

01:23They went to great lengths to block me from the cameras and to flank me, and I'm only

01:32guessing that it's to prevent me from saying something or doing something that they think

01:38would be a bad look.

01:40But that in itself was a bad look.

01:43Well, I didn't see that.

01:45I saw Chang Le and we smiled at each other during the event.

01:53Look, I'm not aware of those issues.

01:56It's important that people be allowed to participate fully.

02:01And that's what should happen in this building or anywhere else in Australia.

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