The bottom line is the ChiCons won n the yanks lost... Beijing Biden doing wonder for Beijing
Why China initially only told half the story about its 'hostage diplomacy' for Huawei's 'princess'
A woman in a red dress waves before descending stairs from an Air China plane.
Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou has been hailed as a national hero in the Chinese press.( AP: Jin Liwang/Xinhua )
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Over the weekend, Chinese state media was awash with the news of the return of the "Huawei princess", Meng Wanzhou.
Key points:
Chinese state media waited 36 hours to publicise the release of the two Michaels
The press has focused on the diplomatic win of Meng Wanzhou's return to China
The case has once again put a spotlight on two detained Australians
But for more than a day, the Chinese press remained silent on a key detail of the story — the release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
The "two Michaels", as they became known, touched down in Canada on Saturday after Huawei's chief financial officer, Ms Meng, was released.
It has been widely described as a prisoner swap and as a blatant example of "hostage diplomacy".
Ms Meng was arrested on fraud charges connected to the company's alleged attempts to bypass US sanctions against Iran.
But from China's point of view, it was Ms Meng who was the hostage.
Chinese media breaks its silence on the two Michaels
A man in a mask hugs his wife in front of a plane.
Former diplomat Michael Kovrig embraces his wife Vina Nadjibulla after landing in Canada. ( Reuters: Canadian Defence Forces )
In an article posted late Sunday night — about 36 hours after the news broke of the Canadians' release — the jingoistic tabloid Global Times ran an "exclusive" quoting an unnamed "source close to the matter".
The article claimed the two Michaels had "confessed their guilt" and were "released on bail for medical reasons".
That is despite one of them, Mr Spavor, being sentenced to 11 years in prison for spying and supplying state secrets to foreign nations in a Chinese court.
Mr Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who became an analyst at the International Crisis Group, was tried in secret in March and was awaiting a verdict.
Another outlet, Guancha Syndicate — one of the most popular nationalistic online media portals in China — also published a WeChat article about the two Michaels late Sunday night, which was read more than 100,000 times in fewer than 24 hours.
It tells a similar story to the Global Times – that the "two Canadian defendants confessed to the crime and wrote down their own confessions of guilt".
The Global Times article mentioned Ms Meng was released on the same day as the two men, but denied the implication of "hostage diplomacy".
It maintained Ms Meng's case was "entirely different from the cases of the two Canadians in nature", quoting an analyst who said the Huawei executive's situation was a politically motivated one "cooked up" by the US and Canada.
The case against the Michaels, the article claimed, was based on evidence and their release was in line with Chinese law.
Further, it said a tweet from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service welcoming the Michaels home proved their alleged spying activities were "not made up by China".
"Ironically, as soon as the two Canadians touched down in Canada, the Canadian intelligence eagerly welcomed them, which proved their identities and activities of spies are not made up by China," the Global Times article read.
One detail overlooked in China's coverage of Ms Meng's release is a statement from the United States Department of Justice, which said she had admitted to wrongdoing.
National pride for Ms Meng's return to 'motherland'
People crowded at an aiport in China with red Chinese flags and smartphones.
Ms Meng's supporters flocked to the airport to celebrate her release.( AP: Ng Han Guan )
Yun Jiang, producer of the China Neican newsletter at the Australian National University, said the focus for Chinese media was Ms Meng, and the press was telling what's termed a "positive energy" story about her release.
"They have a narrative ready," she said.
"According to the Chinese government, she was unfairly imprisoned and she only was released because of the pressure from the Chinese government.
Ms Meng's return to China was broadcast live, with a state-run CCTV anchor saying it attracted almost 430 million views.
"This number far exceeds the total population of the United States and Canada. This is the power of 1.4 billion Chinese people," she said.
Ms Jiang said there's a sense of nationalism in the coverage, and the narrative that Chinese government efforts have righted a wrong.
That was also evident from foreign officials, including Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.
"It has long been a fully proven fact that this is an incident of political persecution against a Chinese citizen, an act designed to hobble Chinese high-tech companies," she said.
"The so-called 'fraud' charges against Ms Meng Wanzhou are purely fabricated."
China's ambassador to the UK also tweeted about Ms Meng's return, omitting any mention of the two Michaels, but highlighting that China was willing to do "whatever it takes".
"She's been seen depicted as a hero and as a win for the Chinese government in its negotiation tactics with the US and Canada," Dr Jennifer Hsu, a research fellow at the Lowy Institute, said.
In contrast, just the bare minimum had been published about the two Michaels — anything more than that might imply to China's domestic audience that the two cases were inextricably linked, she said.
Two men hugging while another two men talk and a woman stands nearby on an airport tarmac.
The two Michaels were accompanied by Canada's ambassador to China, Domenic Barton, and were greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.( Reuters: Canada Defence Forces )
Censorship was also a factor, she said, with the one-party state having a huge infrastructure and investment in wiping details on "harmful" topics.
Ms Jiang pointed out censorship is not just about removing content.
"It's also guiding content as well. Sometimes they don't just remove things, but they emphasise certain aspects of a story, and that's part of their guidance and propaganda," she said.
What about the two detained Australians?
The high-profile release of the two Canadians has brought back into focus the cases of two Australians who remain detained in China.
A woman wears a brown coat.
Cheng Lei has been held in China for more than a year, separated from her young children in Australia. ( Supplied )
Writer Yang Hengjun, who was once employed at China's Ministry of State Security, has been detained since January 2019 and charged with espionage, while state media China Global Television Network anchor Cheng Lei has been held since August 2020.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne has previously described Dr Yang's case as one of "arbitrary detention" and has raised concerns about the "lack of transparency" behind Ms Cheng's arrest.
But while there appears to have been an exchange of Ms Meng for the Michaels, Australia does not have that option.
The Michaels were arrested "purely to act as hostages" — to swap with Ms Meng — whereas the two Australians were not, Ms Jiang said.
"Their cases [are] a bit more complicated … we don't really know what China wants," she said.
"It's harder to really know what Australia can do to get them back."
A man in a black shirt sits beside water while a woman in a blue shirt puts her arms around his neck.
Dr Yang and his wife Yuan Xiaoliang.( AP: Chongyi Feng )
Dr Hsu pointed out the two Australians have Chinese heritage, and that can factor into how the state treats their cases.
"China does have bargaining chips with regards to bilateral relations. The two detained Australians are probably pawns in the political games that take place at the Canberra-Beijing level," Dr Hsu said.
But an ongoing diplomatic freeze — where Australian ministers have been unable to get their counterparts on the phone — could further complicate matters.
As could the recent AUKUS announcement, which has largely been viewed as a response to China in the region and to which Chinese officials took great offence, she said.
"Because there hasn't been high-level dialogue between the two countries, we simply cannot or don't know what might trigger their release."
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the ABC it remains concerned about the ongoing detention of the two Australians.
"We expect basic standards of transparency, justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be afforded to Dr Yang and Ms Cheng, in accordance with international norms and China’s legal obligations," DFAT said in a statement.
"We will continue to advocate for and provide the highest level of consular assistance to all Australians detained overseas, including in China."
DFAT said it would advocate for their rights "at the most senior levels", but would not comment in further detail due to privacy obligations.
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