The EU has urged China to release all journalists and citizens held in connection with their reporting, following the detention of a Bloomberg News employee.
Haze Fan (范若伊), a Chinese citizen, was taken from her home by plainclothes security officials on Monday last week, Bloomberg said, and Beijing said that she had been detained on suspicion of endangering national security.
“All those arrested and detained in connection with their reporting activity should be immediately released,” an EU spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.
The statement mentioned that “other Chinese journalists or citizens have disappeared this year, or been detained or harassed after engaging in reporting.”
“We expect the Chinese authorities to grant her [Fan] medical assistance if needed, prompt access to a lawyer of her choice and contacts with her family,” it added.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier said that Fan’s case was under investigation.
Bloomberg said that it was “very concerned for her” and was seeking more information.
Chinese citizens are forbidden by the government from working as reporters for foreign news organizations in China, but are allowed to work as news assistants.
Fan, who joined Bloomberg in 2017, has been credited as a contributor on numerous business stories.
Her detention came months after China held a high-profile Chinese-born Australian journalist, citing similar suspicions.
Cheng Lei (成蕾), a TV anchor at Chinese state-owned outlet China Global Television Network, has not been seen in public since being held.
Two other Australian reporters — Bill Birtles and Michael Smith — fled China shortly after being interrogated about Cheng.
Separately, Bank of China Ltd (中國銀行) has closed the account of Tang Kai-yin (鄧棨然), one of 12 Hong Kong fugitives detained in China, the South China Morning Post reported.
The bank wrote in a letter that it had made the move for “commercial and administrative reasons,” the paper quoted Tang’s brother as saying.
Bank employees “refused to elaborate” on the move when he paid them a visit, said the paper, which did not provide his name.
The Hong Kong advocates were captured on Aug. 23 by coast guard authorities from Guangdong Province as they attempted to flee to Taiwan by speedboat.
Bank of China (Hong Kong) did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday morning.
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