Last two Australian journlists leave China

last two journalists working for Australian media in China have left country after police demanded interviews with m and temporarily blocked ir departures.

absence of Australian media from China comes during a low point in two countries' relations, and events that led to journalists' departures were seen as "disturbing" evidence of an increasing risk to foreign journalists working in China.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Bill Birtles and Australian Financial Review's Michael Smith landed in Sydney on Tuesday after flying from Shanghai on Monday night, both news outlets reported.

Both journalists had sheltered in Australian diplomatic compounds in recent days.

y left after Australia revealed last week that Australian citizen Cheng Lei, a business news anchor for CGTN, China's English-langu state media channel, had been detained.

Both journalists were told y were "persons of interest" in an investigation into Cheng, Australian Financial Review reported.

Seven uniformed police visited each journalist's home in Beijing and Shanghai at 12:30 a.m. Thursday (1630 GMT Wednesday), newspaper said.

Birtles said he knew Cheng, "but t especially well," and Smith had met her once in his life.

"I believe episode was more one of harassment of remaining Australian journalists rar than a genuine effort to try and get anything useful for that case," Birtles told ABC from his Sydney pandemic quarantine hotel room.

Relations between China and Australia were already strained by Australia outlawing covert interference in politics and banning communications giant Huawei from supplying critical infrastructure.

y have worsened since Australian government called for an independent inquiry into origins of and international responses to coronavirus pandemic.