Newshour - 'The worst day in freedom is better than the best day in detention' - BBC Sounds

When Australian President Anthony Albanese took office in 2022, he vowed to improve relations with China and end a diplomatic hiatus that had been triggered by several prickly incidents during the pandemic. Mr Li's visit to the country this week, the first by a Chinese premier since 2017, has been seen as another step in the thawing of tensions.

But the meeting was overshadowed by Chinese officials appearing to block a formerly imprisoned journalist from the view of cameras at an event in Canberra.

Cheng Lei, who was imprisoned by Beijing for three years, said she believed two embassy officials had stood in front of her to prevent what they thought “would be a bad look”.