Two Australian journalists have been pulled out of China following a diplomatic standoff that saw the pair seek refuge at Australian diplomatic missions while officials negotiated their exit. Bill Birtles, the Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s Beijing-based correspondent, and Michael Smith, based in Shanghai with the Australian Financial Review, had initially been informed by Chinese state security officials they were banned from leaving China. But they boarded a flight out of the country on Monday night following high-level negotiations between the two countries, after agreeing to be questioned by China’s Ministry of State Security, the two news organizations reported. The pair arrived in Sydney on Tuesday morning. “It’s great to be back home safely after a difficult five days,” said Mr. Smith, adding that the episode “highlights the pressure all foreign journalists are under in China right now.”The journalists were visited at their residences by Chinese state security officials early Thursday.

Source: Wall Street Journal September 08, 2020 04:21 UTC