Beijing's 'Hostage Diplomacy': Australian Toddler Not Allowed To Leave China

China, well known for using “bullying” techniques to have its way in the South China Sea, also engages in “hostage diplomacy”, using individuals as pawns against foreign governments. The latest case involves a two-year-old Australian citizen named Lufty who is stuck in China with his mother unable to leave and reunite with his husband in Australia.

It all began in 2016 when Sadam Abudusalamu, a Uyghur Australian man, traveled to Xinjiang to marry his girlfriend Nadila Wumaier. He came back to Australia in early 2017 while she waited in Xinjiang for her spousal visa to be approved. Lufty was born later that year and soon after, Abudusalamu got the news that his wife would be unable to leave China.

He went public with his story to Four Corners, Australia's leading investigative journalism program, and said, "It's a nightmare, every day waking with the shock of what's going to happen to Nadila today, what's going to happen to my son if they took Nadila?"

Since going public with his story, Abudusalamu has kept hope with the support given to his case by the federal government.

He claims that his wife has been repeatedly questioned by the Chinese police and is being closely monitored. "They've been telling my wife to tell your husband to keep silent. I'm not going to keep silent until I see them. They want me to keep silent? Just bring my family to Australia. Then I will stop speaking,” he said.

Abudusalamu’s lawyer, Michael Bradley, said there was no legal basis for China to prevent Lufty and his mother from coming to Australia. He said, "From a legal standpoint, the situation we now have is an Australian citizen, along with his mother who has been given an Australian travel visa, wanting to leave China to travel to Australia and be reunited with their father and husband. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which China is a signatory provides that everyone has the right to leave any country, including their own. Politics aside, the case is that simple."

According to Associate Professor James Leibold from La Trobe University, Beijing is using the toddler's case to express its displeasure with the Australian government under Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

"I think it fits a kind of pattern of behavior to essentially bully countries that are not willing to fall in line with its narrative or to cooperate, according to its own terms. It's essentially a form of hostage diplomacy," Leibold said.

Another reason may be related to China’s crackdown on the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Estimated at over 1 million, the Uyghurs are currently being detained in reeducation camps, while those not detained have had their passports taken away, making it impossible for them to leave China.

Australia is not the only country to witness China’s "hostage diplomacy". After Canada arrested a Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou on fraud charges, Beijing retaliated by arresting two Canadians for "harm to national security". One of the Canadians arrested was re-tried and now faces a 15 year to death penalty for drug smuggling.

Meanwhile, Abudusalamu can only wait and watch videos of his son who he has never met.