China Chases a Journalist Abroad

The Chinese Communist Party targets critics at home and abroad, and it bullies other countries to become accomplices. Witness Beijing’s demand for Thailand to extradite a Chinese journalist who exposed corruption.

Bai Zhaodong covered Covid-19, graft and other politically sensitive topics for Caijing, a Chinese magazine known for investigative reporting. Authorities have detained at least two others who wrote for the publication, and Reporters Without Borders says public security departments across China brought at least five charges against Mr. Bai between 2011 and 2022. Mr. Bai fled the country, arriving in Thailand in 2024.

But Mr. Bai was unable to renew his Chinese passport, and he has been in immigration detention since January 2026. The Chinese Foreign Ministry told Reuters it is seeking Mr. Bai’s extradition, citing extortion and bribery allegations. Mr. Bai denies wrongdoing, says his lawyer, Nadthasiri Bergman.

If Mr. Bai is returned to China, he “ will probably be incarcerated based on the articles that he published,” says Ms. Bergman. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has recognized Mr. Bai as a refugee, says the nonprofit Human Rights Watch. Ms. Bergman says another country, which she declined to name, has agreed to take him, but he needs a Thai exit permit. Thailand’s immigration authorities

and Ministry for Foreign Affairs didn’t respond to our inquiries. Under its national laws and international commitments, Thailand is barred from returning someone to a home country if he is likely to face persecution, torture or other abuse. Yet last year Thailand deported at least 40 Uyghurs to China, despite a finding by the U.S. that the Communist Party is carrying out a genocide against the ethnic minority. Human Rights Watch says Beijing has recently asked Bangkok to return others who would face political or religious persecution in China.

Brave journalists like Mr. Bai do a public service with their reporting, and Chinese readers aren’t their only beneficiaries. It’s become more difficult for foreign businesses, including American companies, to access reliable information about Chinese governance and economic and business matters as Beijing imposes more restrictions on sharing information.

Beijing has become increasingly bold about harassing critics abroad, including in the U.S. Washington has an interest in countering such transnational repression, and the Trump Administration can help by raising Mr. Bai’s case with Thailand.

Beijing asks Thailand to extradite a reporter who exposed corruption.