Last 2 journalists working for Australian media leave China

The last two journalists working for Australian media in China have left the country after police demanded interviews with them, the Australian government and Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Tuesday.

ABC's Bill Birtles and The Australian Financial Review's Michael Smith landed in Sydney after flying from Shanghai on Monday night, ABC reported.

Both had sheltered in Australian diplomatic compounds in recent days.

Chinese police arrived at Birtles' doorstep last week, demanded he submit to questioning and told him he was banned from leaving the country, the ABC reported.

Australian and Chinese officials negotiated for the travel ban to be lifted if Birtles spoke to police.

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

Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed that her government had provided consular support to the two journalists to assist their return to Australia.

Australia's travel warning of the risk of arbitrary detention in China "remains appropriate and unchanged," she added.

ABC news director Gaven Morris said Birtles was brought back to Australia on the Australian government's advice.

"We want to ensure that we've got a correspondent back there working with them (local ABC staff) as soon as that is possible," Morris said.

"China, understanding China, the relationship between our two countries is probably the biggest story of our time and having our people on the ground working with our local team to tell that story is absolutely critical to the ABC," Morris added.

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

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