Sydney Rotary - Beyond the Wall: Cheng Lei’s Story of Survival, Courage, and Freedom

Cheng Lei is an Australian-Chinese journalist who has worked for both Western and Chinese media. She was born in China but grew up in Australia from the age of ten.

At the tensest point in Australia-China relations, she was detained for supplying 'state secrets to overseas organisations' and was incarcerated in Beijing by China's Ministry of State Security for three years and two months.

Australian diplomatic efforts secured her release, and she was reunited with her family in October 2023.

Lei currently works as a presenter for Sky News. She received the Press Freedom Award from the Australian Press Council in 2024 and was the Australian newspaper's Australian of the Year in 2023.