Cheng Lei: China says Australian news anchor was arrested on national security grounds

Foreign ministry spokesman defends questioning of Australian journalists Bill Birtles and Mike Smith

Australian news anchor Cheng Lei was arrested in Beijing on national security grounds last month, China's foreign ministry spokesman has revealed, speaking just hours after two other Australian journalists arrived home after fleeing the country.

Cheng, a business journalist for the state broadcaster CGTN, was taken into secretive detention in mid-August, the Australian government revealed last week. Consular staff were able to visit Cheng by videolink but were not told why she had been detained.