Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who was arrested and jailed in China three years ago, has released her first public statement describing the harsh conditions of her imprisonment and how much she misses Australia.
"I miss the sun. In my cell, the sunlight shines through the window, but I can stand in it for only 10 hours a year," she writes from an undisclosed facility in Beijing.
"This is a love letter to 25 million people and 7 million square kilometres of land, land abundant in nature, beauty and space. It is not the same in here, I haven't seen a tree in three years."
7.30 received a copy of the statement dictated to an Australian consular official in Beijing and given to her partner, Nick Coyle.
In her message, Ms Cheng addresses the Australian public directly.
"G'day Aussies, excuse the daggy slang from someone in need of 'ockerism'," Ms Cheng writes.
Ms Cheng's parents and two children are in Australia. She speaks longingly of her life here, evoking a painful contrast with her imprisonment.
"Every year the bedding is taken into the sun for two hours to air. When it came back last time, I wrapped myself in the doona and pretended I was being hugged by my family under the sun."
Ms Cheng, now 48, was working as a broadcast journalist at Chinese state-owned media, CGTN, when she was arrested on August 13, 2020, accused of "supplying state secrets overseas" — an allegation she rejects.
She was put in Residential Surveillance at a Dedicated Facility (RSDF) — a form of detention criticised by human rights groups where detainees are unable to have contact with the outside world.
Ms Cheng was tried behind closed doors in March 2022 and she is yet to know what verdict was reached.
Speaking exclusively to 7.30, her partner of eight years, Nick Coyle, described the purpose of the statement.
“I think the fact that it's three years is very poignant for her,” Mr Coyle said.
"This is a message to the Australian people really. It's trying to communicate with the Australian people who she is and what she loves about her country. And it's a country that she feels very lucky to have come to at a very young age and had the benefit of our warmth and multicultural nature and education and way of life.
"So, she misses it."
Multicultural upbringing
"I miss the Australian people, the closing hours of food markets stalls, with butchers calling out end-of-day prices and Sunday flea markets, immigrant family-run takeaway shops."
Ms Cheng relocated to Brisbane from China aged 10 with her parents. She became an accountant before switching to a successful career in journalism.
"I received such kindness from strangers and friends, my ESL teacher who taught me hot and cold by running my hands under the tap … Growing up as Chinese Australian, I had two identities that would often fight for the upper hand depending on the context and company, but in humour, the Aussie humour wins hands down every time," she writes.
"Even though we speak different languages and eat different meals, we laugh the same and have an eye for the absurd."
In a prison landscape, largely devoid of stimulation, memories of her Australian upbringing are vivid.
"I miss the black humour of Melbourne weather, the tropical theatrics of Queensland and the never-ending blue skies of Western Australia. I miss the sweet encounters of wildlife in Australia, the sea salt whirling in my ear, the sand between my toes."
Mr Coyle said after exiting the Residential Surveillance at a Dedicated Facility system, Ms Cheng has been able to write a letter to her children and parents once a month.
He said in her correspondence, Ms Cheng tries to be optimistic to ensure her loved ones don't worry.
"She tries to, I think, be as upbeat and irreverent with her humour as she possibly can be, because I think that, you know, she gives strength back to those people who care about her as well," Mr Coyle told 7.30.
He says the Australian government has organised regular consular visits but Mr Coyle holds concerns for his partner's wellbeing.
"I definitely notice more and more the toll that it takes on her in terms of the long-term separation from her children, that is, without doubt, the most difficult thing."
No warning before arrest
Ms Cheng's arrest happened eight months after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic when diplomatic relations between Australia and China had broken down.
Since the change of federal government in Australia, the relationship has improved, with Beijing issuing an invitation this year for the Australian prime minister to travel to China.
It is not known whether movement on Ms Cheng's case will be a condition of the prime minister accepting that invitation.
Mr Coyle, who until July 2022 used to be the head of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, said a resolution in Ms Cheng's case will bring the two countries closer together.
"What I would say is that Lei’s case I think is very important to improving the atmospherics," he said.
"So, the sooner this case is resolved compassionately, and expeditiously, the sooner, you know, people's minds can be focused on the positive aspects of bilateral engagement."
In a statement to 7.30, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said: "Australia has consistently advocated for Ms Cheng, and asked that basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be met for Ms Cheng, in accordance with international norms."
The Chinese Embassy in Canberra told 7.30 that it was important to stress that "China is under the rule of law".
"China's judicial authorities have handled the case in accordance with the law, and the lawful rights of Cheng are under full protection," it said.
The embassy also said, "based on humanitarian considerations, China is ready to listen to Australia's demands and provide assistance within the scope of legal provisions."
Mr Coyle hopes his partner's case will be resolved quickly.
"You would like to think these things are above politics? I certainly hope it is. And let's just get it resolved in her home to her family, and so she can get on with her life, and her children can have their mother back."
'I miss my children'
In her statement, Cheng Lei makes a single mention of the possibility of freedom.
"I can't believe I used to avoid the sun when I was living back in Australia, although knowing Melbourne weather, it will probably rain for the first two weeks after I return."
Mr Coyle said Ms Cheng's children, aged 12 and 14, are doing their best to cope with a "horrible situation."
"She's missed her daughter going into high school, her son will go into high school next year. Those are times she can't get back, you know. Her daughter needs a mum going through these sorts of times … teenage adolescent, you know, time of life when mum's guidance can be so valuable."
The statement concludes with a brief line reminding the public of the most acute suffering caused by her imprisonment.
"Most of all, I miss my children," she said.
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