China's foreign ministry has declined to explain in an undisclosed location for more than two weeks without charge.
Cheng Lei, a prominent journalist in China, hosted a business program for China’s government-run English language broadcaster CGTN for the past eight years.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Monday said the Australian government was informed of Ms Cheng's detention on the 14 August and were permitted a virtual consular visit with the 45-year-old on 27 August.
In the Chinese Government's first comments on the arrest, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the case would be handled "according to the law".
"I can't give you any specifics," she said.
Former Australian ambassador to China Geoff Raby, who is a friend of Ms Cheng, on Tuesday told SBS News it was .
"There's a period during which they would be assembling their case, or gauging international reaction and how they wish to handle it," Dr Raby, who held the position between 2007 and 2011, said.
As Australian diplomats scramble to unravel the situation, experts have warned that the arrest of the high-profile Australian citizen could be intended as a diplomatic warning amid growing tensions between the two countries.
On Wednesaday, China suspended barley imports from Australia's largest grain exporter, CBH Grain PTY Ltd, citing the existence of pests.
The timing of the arrest "does make people wonder because it’s very unusual that it could be her,” said Delia Lin, a senior lecturer in Chinese Studies at Melbourne University.
Dr Lin described Ms Cheng as a "really great bridge between China and Australia" and someone who was not outspoken about her political beliefs.
"She certainly knows her boundaries very well, extremely well, and she’s never really crossed those boundaries as far as I can see," she said. "She’s also known for reporting things that are favourable to Beijing."
While the reason for her detention is still unclear, earlier this year.
Cheng Lei at the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal in 2019. Source: Getty
In one example, posted in March, she detailed a censored profile of Ai Fen, a Wuhan doctor who sounded the alarm about the new virus in January. “The article lived for a few hours, and then the purge started,” she wrote.
International body the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Chinese Authorities to disclose the reasons for holding Ms Cheng or release her immediately.
“China, the world’s number one jailer of journalists, must make clear whether her detention has anything to do with her media work," said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator.
According to their own research, at least 48 journalists were jailed in China as of December last year, the CPJ said in a statement.
