It's fair to say relations between China and Australia are at one of its lowest points after the evacuation of two Australian journalists this week.
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ABC foreign correspondent Bill Birtles and Australian Financial Review reporter Michael Smith were rushed out of China on a late-night flight following fears for their safety.
Both reporters had been sheltering in Australian embassies in China for several days after concerns they could be detained by Chinese state officials.
The pair had been the last two correspondents working for Australian media outlets from China.
The situation is an escalation of a tit-for-tat between the two nations.
Why were the reporters pulled out of China?
Mr Birtles and Mr Smith had sought shelter at the Australian embassy after they were both visited by Chinese officials demanding they answer questions about detained Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei.
Ms Lei, a reporter for the Chinese state media's English language channel CGTN, had been detained since August 14 on national security grounds, according to the Chinese government.
The anchor had been detained without officially being charged all while being cut off from access to lawyers or other diplomatic officials. The family of Ms Lei had become concerned after she disappeared from television and contact was cut off.
Now it's a different situation now for other reporters who are there in China
- Mary-Anne Toy, former Beijing correspondent
Chinese authorities had interviewed Birtles and Smith in relation to Ms Lei, even visiting their homes in the middle of the night.
Fearing for their safety, Mr Birtles contacted Australian officials, who took him to the Australian embassy in Beijing, while Mr Smith had sought refuge in the Australian consulate in Shanghai, after fears they could be arbitrarily detained.
Mr Birtles said he was asked questions about sources he used when reporting on the contentious Hong Kong national security laws. After spending several days in the embassies, the two reporters landed in Sydney on Tuesday morning after a flight out of Shanghai.
What has China accused Australia of?
In the days after the safe arrival of the two Australian journalists, a report from Chinese state news agency Xinhua alleged Australian intelligence officials had searched the homes of Chinese journalists in Australia in June
The report also alleged the Chinese reporters were questioned for several hours and their computers and mobile phones were removed.
China's foreign ministry had accused Australia of violating the rights of the Chinese journalists.
The alleged raid was believed to have happened around the time of a search by federal police of the home of NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane over reported ties to China.
The search by the federal police was carried out under new foreign interference laws.
What led to this?
Relations between the two nations have been declining for several years over allegations of foreign interference by China in Australia.
That amped up again this year when Australia led calls for a global inquiry into China's handling of coronavirus, which originated in the country.
A tit-for-tat has been going on between the two countries with China imposing tariffs on Australian products such as beef and barley, along with allegations China sold Australian wine below the cost of production.
The federal government has warned Australian citizens may face arbitrary detention if they travel to China.
In the wake of the incident this week, the government has reiterated those warnings.
China has also warned its citizens not to travel to Australia for what it said was due to a spike in racist incidents.
What does this mean for reporting in China?
Mary-Anne Toy, a former Beijing correspondent and foreign editor for The Age, said the situation faced by Australian reporters Bill Birtles and Mike Smith has been unprecedented
"I always knew you could get a visit [from Chinese authorities] but it wasn't something that I was worried about when I was there," she said. "Now it's a different situation now for other reporters who are there in China."
Ms Toy, who was stationed in the country between 2005 and 2008, said the situation and attitude by the Chinese government towards foreign journalists was vastly different to that today.
"When I was there, we were told there was a handful of topics we were told not to broach like Tienanmen Square and Tibet and to not involve Chinese staff when reporting on it because there was a risk," Ms Toy said.
"I felt secure in that I was an Australian reporter and while the Chinese government may dislike what you were writing, they had no control over it because it was for an Australian audience.
"But you always were aware of the security presence when you were there."
The evacuation of the Australian journalists from China has meant it is now the first time since the 1970s that the ABC does not have a reporter that is based in China.
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Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the situation was disappointing and that Australia was likely to not have a media presence in China for some time. Ms Toy said China was one of the most important stories of our time and said a media presence was still needed in the country.
"I would hope a great nation like China would not close itself off to the rest of the world. In this way, they would be no better than other countries like North Korea," she said.