Kids’ heartbreaking messages for mum Cheng Lei locked up in China

It has been two years since Chinese-Australian journalist Cheng Lei’s devastated children have been able to see their mum, who was accused by Chinese authorities of leaking state secrets and locked up after a closed-door trial.

“Not a single day goes by without me missing the best mum in the whole world.”

“I will be strong, just like you taught me, please come home soon, I love you.”

Those are the heartbreaking words of one of the children of Australian business journalist Cheng Lei, who was detained by Chinese authorities two years ago Saturday on charges of sending state secrets overseas, and convicted in a closed-door trial that lasted less than three hours.

Now, on the eve of the anniversary of her disappearance and imprisonment by the Chinese government, The Daily Telegraph can exclusively reveal drawings and messages from Cheng’s two school-age children that they have been longing to show her but have been unable to because of authorities in Beijing.

In one drawing, Cheng’s son — who cannot be identified for security reasons — has drawn himself outside school gates saying, “Why my mum does not come with me?” He imagines her saying, “I miss you too much!”

Australian journalist Cheng Lei has been imprisoned in China for almost two years. Picture: CGTN

Another shows her son and daughter smiling together, surrounded by childlike drawings of an aeroplane, ship, and TV microphone, saying: “We miss u, mum!”

But Cheng’s children are unable to see her as she is being held by China’s secretive Ministry of State Security in worrying conditions and with only one half-hour visit by Australian embassy officials, conducted by video conference, per month.

AUSTRALIAN DREAM

For years, 47-year-old Cheng Lei was living the great Australian dream.

Born in China’s Hunan province, Cheng moved to Australia at age 10 when her father was studying metallurgical science at Melbourne’s Monash University.

The family moved to Queensland when her father became a lecturer at University of Queensland, and Cheng went to Indooroopilly State High School before studying accounting, also at UQ.

After a career in business, her passion for journalism — and her fluency in both English and Mandarin — took her to mainland China and Beijing, where she eventually became the anchor of a daily business show on state broadcaster CGTN.

Walking between both cultures, Cheng would appear as a panellist on a special episode of ABC’s Q&A held in Shanghai, and interviewed former Finance Minister Mathias Cormann at Davos.

But those who know her say that despite returning to the land of her birth, she never forgot her adopted homeland of Australia, where she held citizenship.

“Australian education and Australian cultures and values are all meshed together, and that means a lot of respect for freedom, a lot of respect for creativity, for individuality, and I think that has helped me so much in my life,” she said on a 2018 video for Australia Global Alumni about her studies in Queensland.

BRIGHT COOKIE

Since her arrest, “there have been no phone calls and no visits from anyone at all,” said her long-term partner, Nick Coyle, who discovered Cheng was missing when she failed to turn up to his birthday drinks in 2020.

Contradicting claims made by China’s ambassador to Canberra earlier this week that relatives were allowed contact, Mr Coyle said: “The only people she has been allowed contact with is the consulate for 30 minutes a month, via video link at the Ministry of State Security headquarters in Beijing.”

During those meetings officials do their best to pass on messages from the outside world.

Cheng Lei with her two children …

… who have drawn some pics for their mum ...

… who they have not seen for two years.

Consular reports seen by The Daily Telegraph suggest that there are concerns about Cheng’s health and the quality of food she is receiving, although as much as possible she is trying to make the best of a bad situation, including by tutoring her cellmates in English.

Mr Coyle says that no one has any idea why she was arrested, adding that neither he nor her children from a previous marriage have had any contact with her since.

“Her whole trial, I understand, lasted two or three hours,” he said.

According to Mr Coyle, who ran the Australian Chamber of Commerce in China at the time of Cheng’s arrest, the whole situation is perplexing because she was a business journalist who had little interest in the sort of party politics that might get someone into trouble.

Cheng Lei with her partner Nick Coyle at a ball in Beijing in 2019. Picture: Supplied

“She wasn’t at all political, but she was very involved with various business and industry groups — her role was as an anchor and commentator,” he said.

“She was an accountant by trade and a really bright cookie, she knew what she was talking about.”

“And she was really positive about China and Australia and the relationship between the two countries — this makes no sense.”

Asked what his hopes are for Cheng, Mr Coyle said: “I just want her dealt with compassionately.” “She’s already served her time, she should be allowed to come home sooner rather than later.”

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