Bill Birtles Biography and Wiki
Bill Birtles is an Australian journalist who was recently working as a Chinese correspondent for the famous media group ABC Australia.
10 Quick Facts About Bill Birtles
- Name: Bill Birtles
- Age: 34 Years Old
- Birthday: 1986
- Zodiac Sign: To be Updated
- Height: Around 5 feet 6 inches
- Nationality: Australian
- Occupation: Journalist
- Marital Status: Married
- Salary: Under Review
- Net worth: Under Review
Bill Birtles Age
Bill is 34 years old as of 2020. He was born around 1986, in Australia. He has not disclosed his exact date of birth to the public making it difficult to establish when he celebrates his birthday.
Bill Birtles Height and Weight
Bill stands at an average height and has moderate weight. He appears to be quite tall in stature in his photos, relative to his surroundings, which are anything to go by. However, details regarding his actual height and other body measurements are currently not publicly available. We are keeping tabs and will update this information once it is out.
Bill Birtles Family
Our efforts to find out more about his family came to no avail as no such information is publicly available. Thus, the identity of Bill’s parents is still unclear. It is also not known if he has any siblings. Nevertheless, this section will be updated as soon as it is available.
Bill Birtles Wife, Is Bill Birtles married?
Bill is a married man. He has, however, not disclosed his wife’s identity. We as well don’t know when the couple tied the knot or whether they have any kids. Bill is a simple person who likes to keep his personal matters away from the public making it difficult to trace his love life. We are keeping tabs on this information and will be updated as soon as it is available.
Bill Birtles Net Worth
Bill has not revealed his net worth. He is a simple person and never likes to attract public attention by publicly displaying his wealth. However, this section is under review, we will update you when details about his net worth are revealed.
Bill Birtles Measurements and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Bill.
Bill Birtles Bio and Wiki
- Full Names: Bill Birtles
- Popular As: Bill
- Gender: Male
- Occupation / Profession: Journalist
- Nationality: Australian
- Race / Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Religion: To be Updated
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Bill Birtles Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 34 years
- Zodiac Sign: To be Updated
- Date of Birth: 1986
- Place of Birth: Australia
- Birthday: To be Updated
Bill Birtles Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: To be Updated
- Height / How Tall?: Average
- Weight: Moderate
- Eye Color: Black
- Hair Color: Black
- Shoe Size: To be Updated
Bill Birtles Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): To be Updated
- Mother: To be Updated
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): To be Updated
- Marital Status: Married
- Wife/Spouse: To be Updated
- Dating / Girlfriend: Not Applicable
- Children: To be Updated
Bill Birtles Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: Under Review
- Salary: Under Review
- Source of Income: Journalism Career
Bill Birtles House and Cars
- Place of living: To be Updated
- Cars: Car Brand to be Updated
Bill Birtles Journalist
Bill Birtles is one of the famous journalists who was recently working as a Chinese correspondent for the famous media group ABC Australia. But, he didn’t find it safe in China with the recent activities of being searched and knocked on the door by the Chinese police which lead him to flow back to his homeland. He has mentioned this in his recent Tweet about how he felt.
Bill Birtles China Controversy
The ABC, on advice from the Australian Embassy, had organized for Bill to be on a morning flight out of Beijing’s capital airport In early September 2020. Bill, however, did not want to leave. He felt safe and things seemed normal despite the chilling recent news that an Australian anchor for Chinese state media, Cheng Lei, had been detained in a secretive national security case.
That midnight Bill heard a knock at the door. He opened it to see two police officers in standard uniform. He first thought they were there because of a noise complaint. Then, he stuck his head out and saw another five people in plain clothes behind them. Bill’s friend had been ‘helping’ finish off his wine supply and had all gathered around the door to tell the police not to take me away.
Apparently, that wasn’t what they were there for. Instead, the officers showed him their National Security Department badges, told him he was “involved” in a case, and informed him an exit ban had been placed upon me. They added that he otherwise had “freedom of movement” and that they would ring the following afternoon to organize a chat. And then they left. This was unprecedented. Bill had never heard of a foreign journalist being embroiled in a national security case like this before.
But the doorknock posed more questions than it answered. Why roll up with seven people at midnight if you’re just delivering a message? He also had questions ringing in his mind like, Why wait until the following afternoon to talk? Why did they not demand a morning meeting instead?
By the next morning, Bill was heading to the Australian embassy in Beijing to seek advice on what this all meant. His mate, Mike Smith from the Australian Financial Review in Shanghai, had received the same late-night visit, clearly a sign this was well-coordinated and planned by China’s State Security Ministry.
The whole situation was pretty murky. But to Bill’s surprise, the advice was to stay on the embassy grounds and to refuse the interview request when they ring, citing a lack of safeguards about his safety. He did this and the person on the other end of the phone seemed to expect it, as though they were reading off a script.
As the high-level negotiations started, Bill suddenly found himself ensconced in a secure Australian bubble in Beijing. He was able to see and hear the city he had called home for five years, but he wasn’t allowed to venture out. As the days went by and talks went back and forth, he spent a lot of time pondering how he would become a pawn in a 4D game of chess.
At times it looked like his visit to ‘Hotel Australia’ might not be a short stay, and he arranged for clothes and supplies to be brought over by friends from his apartment. But over the weekend the Chinese request to interview him remained a key sticking point. As a result, the focus shifted on how to ensure his safety while he went to meet them.
”China’s state security police have form, as journalists know well. Secretive detentions, a lack of access to lawyers, and vague, drawn-out legal processes have defined multiple national security cases involving foreigners in recent years.”
There was no way he wanted to be made to sign anything that was false or would be used to incriminate others. He was told there was no 100 percent way to ensure the meeting wasn’t a ruse to detain him. But some of the sharpest Australian minds with experience of dealing with China had formed the view that Beijing was, at least for arrangements for the interview, acting in good faith. It was his decision, he was told.
But it was far from certain how China’s position might change if news broke of the diplomatic tussle going on in two cities. Journalistic curiosity partly drove him, but I also thought if they really wanted to escalate diplomatic tensions and detain an Australian media journalist, they would have done so that night at the front door.
So, he agreed. Clearly, he wasn’t going back to his normal life in Beijing either way. The following day there was no update until late in the afternoon — clearly, a sense of urgency from the Chinese side was lacking. Eventually, they arranged for a night-time interview at a mid-range hotel in Sanlitun — a buzzing nightlife district not far from his apartment.
He wasn’t going there alone — there were arrangements in place — but the police wouldn’t permit anyone else he was with to go beyond the lobby. When he arrived, he was taken upstairs to level 22 where several men manning the floor pointed me to a room. Inside were three police officers, a translator, and a video camera pointed at the couch where I was to sit.
A bottle of wine and some crackers sat on the minibar nearby in what was otherwise a normal hotel room. The main officer was the same older cop who knocked on his door at midnight and told him in a thick Beijing accent that we want to “have a discussion”. The questioning started with the basics — his name, his job — before he was asked how long he had been a reporter in China.
It turned mildly comical when he followed up by asking if any of his stories were related to China. He told him they all were, and he asked him to cite some of the more “important topics”. He was then asked if he’d reported on the Hong Kong National Security Law and what “channels” he went through to get his information. But it was very superficial stuff — there was never any real effort to dig deeper and find out who his sources were.
Then the interview turned to the case which he’s supposedly involved in — the national security investigation of Ms. Cheng. He suggested to the interrogators that this discussion was related to the Australia-China relationship, and he was asked his opinion on the current state of ties. As the interview neared its end, he was becoming increasingly at ease.
The older Beijing officer seemed to enjoy continuously rejecting my questions about the politics of the interrogation and lecturing me about China being a “rule-of-law country”. He even cracked a few jokes as a colleague typed up a transcript of the interview.It was presented to him, all in Chinese, and he went through it meticulously to ensure he wouldn’t be signing something that falsely represented his words.
It was an accurate if slightly condensed account, of their discussion, and he had to sign it. They rejected his request for a copy, citing legal reasons. He returned to the lobby and was later taken back to the embassy feeling relatively secure, but flat.
After his discussions, he felt confident he would be allowed to leave China the next day as promised despite the last-minute hitch with the exit ban. He was able to transit in Shanghai and unite with Smith for a final meal at the terminal and a long flight home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bill Birtles
Who is Bill Birtles?
Bill is an Australian journalist who was recently working as a Chinese correspondent for the famous media group ABC Australia.
How old is Bill Birtles?
Bill is 34 years old as of 2020. He was born around 1986, in Australia.
How tall is Bill Birtles?
Jeff stands at an average height, he has not shared his height with the public. His height will be listed once we have it from a credible source.
What nationality is Bill Birtles?
Bill is an Australian national.
How many siblings does Bill Birtles have?
After doing our research details about his parents are not available and it is also not known whether he has any siblings.
Is Bill Birtles married?
Details about his love life are still under review. We will let you know when we discover helpful information about his love life.
How much is Bill Birtles worth?
Bill has not yet revealed his net worth. We will update this section when we get and verify information about the wealth and properties under his name.
Is Bill Birtles dead or alive?
Bill is still alive and in good health. There have been no reports of him being sick or having any health-related issues.
Where does Bill Birtles live?
Because of security reasons, Bill has not shared his precise location of residence. We will immediately update this information if we get the location and images of his house.
Bill Birtles Social Media Contacts
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