BEIJING (Sept 30): A Chinese journalist whose home was raided as part of an Australian anti-interference investigation in June said the action was unfounded and "baseless", in a detailed account released by Chinese media late on Tuesday. China announced earlier this month that four journalists were subject to raids by Australian intelligence and police as part of a broader investigation into an alleged plot to influence an Australian state politician. News of the raids targeting Chinese journalists was released by Beijing shortly after two Australian journalists were evacuated from China earlier this month, in a tense diplomatic standoff between Beijing and Australian embassy officials. The Australian journalists were questioned by Chinese police prior to their departure in relation to the case of Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist with Beijing's state-run CGTN news channel detained in China in August. The questioning of the Australian journalists has been widely interpreted as a tit-for-tat response to the raid on Chinese journalists in Canberra, though the China's foreign ministry has denied they are linked.

Source: The Edge Markets September 30, 2020 03:22 UTC