SYDNEY: Australian jour­nalist Cheng Lei, detained in China on national security charges, has described how standing in sunlight for just 10 hours a year feels in a “love letter” to her country.

Cheng, 48, was a business television anchor for Chinese state television when she was detained by Chinese security officials in August 2020.

The “love letter to 25 million people” was her first public statement since then. It was dictated to consular staff during a visit and released by her partner.

“In my cell, the sunlight shines through the window but I can stand in it for only 10 hours a year,” she wrote.

“I haven’t seen a tree in three years. I relive every bushwalk, river, lake, beach with swims and picnics and psychedelic sunsets. I secretly mouth the names of places I’ve visited and driven through.” Cheng has yet to receive a verdict after facing trial more than a year ago in a closed court in Beijing, where she was accused of providing unspecified state secrets to another country.

The Australian government has repeatedly rais­ed concerns about her detention, which came as China widened blocks on Austra­lian exports amid a diplomatic dispute that is gradually easing.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2023