Beijing’s demand for Thailand to hand over journalist Bai Zhaodong has sparked an international outcry as PM Anutin visits China, with UN officials and over 50 rights groups warning deportation could expose him to torture and political persecution.
Thailand is facing mounting international pressure as Beijing demands the extradition of renowned Chinese investigative journalist Bai Zhaodong while more than 50 global rights organisations, senior United Nations officials and press freedom groups warn he could face political persecution, arbitrary detention and torture if returned to China. The diplomatic showdown comes as Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul holds high-level talks in Beijing and follows the controversial detention in Bangkok of Hong Kong activist and UN-recognised refugee Zhang Xinyan, placing Thailand’s handling of Chinese dissidents under unprecedented global scrutiny at one of the most sensitive moments in Thai-China relations.
Rights groups, including senior United Nations officials, are urging Thailand not to deport Chinese investigative journalist Bai Zhaodong as Beijing presses for his extradition.
The appeal comes as Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul begins a five-day official visit to China with senior cabinet ministers and business leaders. The timing has placed the case under an intense diplomatic spotlight.
The campaign has gathered momentum following the detention of Hong Kong activist Zhang Xinyan in Bangkok. She was arrested on July 9 while preparing to board a flight to Canada from Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Zhang had already been granted United Nations refugee status and accepted for resettlement in Canada. Her detention has intensified scrutiny of Thailand’s handling of Chinese and Hong Kong dissidents seeking international protection.
UN joins calls for Thailand to halt Bai Zhaodong deportation as concern grows over refugee detentions
On Saturday, Gina Paola Romero Rodríguez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, publicly addressed reports that Bai could soon face deportation.
“The detention of Bai Zhaodong, Chinese journalist and whistleblower, in poor conditions and without medical care, and his imminent deportation to China, violates Thailand’s obligations of non-refoulement and risks his life and wellbeing,” she said.
China has formally requested Bai’s extradition from Thailand. Beijing says he is wanted on criminal charges of extortion and bribery by a non-public servant. However, international press freedom organisations reject that explanation. They argue the prosecution is directly linked to Bai’s investigations into corruption and financial misconduct involving influential Communist Party figures.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Safeguard Defenders have led the international campaign. The organisations say Bai has been held at Bangkok’s Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre since January.
China confirms extradition request as Thailand remains silent over fate of detained investigative journalist
They also say Thai immigration officials stopped him from leaving the country while Beijing pursued his return. China has since lodged a formal extradition request seeking his prompt transfer.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed the request in a written response to Reuters. It maintained Bai is wanted solely for criminal offences. It also insisted the case has no connection with journalism or political activity.
“The Chinese government protects its citizens’ freedom of speech according to law, and the achievements in the development of its journalism sector are clear for all to see,” the ministry said.
So far, Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not commented publicly. Nor has the government indicated how it will respond to China’s request. Nevertheless, the case has attracted global attention because Bai is regarded as one of China’s leading investigative journalists. His career has spanned more than two decades and focused on corruption, financial fraud and abuses of official power.
Reporter says corruption investigations triggered surveillance, detention and criminal charges in China
Until recent years, Bai worked for the respected Chinese business publication Caijing magazine. There, he developed a reputation for pursuing politically sensitive investigations.
His reporting examined corruption inside local governments and scrutinised influential Communist Party officials. According to RSF and Safeguard Defenders, one investigation uncovered a major corruption and financial fraud network involving local authorities and senior party figures.
Afterwards, rights organisations say the pressure escalated rapidly. Bai was allegedly placed under close surveillance. He faced repeated interrogations and several periods of detention. Criminal charges later followed. According to the organisations, those actions were a direct response to his investigative reporting. Beijing rejects that claim and continues to insist the prosecution concerns ordinary criminal offences.
Facing growing pressure, Bai fled China on November 29, 2023. He travelled to Bangkok seeking temporary refuge while arranging protection elsewhere. Thailand was never intended to be his final destination. Instead, RSF and Safeguard Defenders say he planned to relocate to a third country. Thailand has long served as a transit point for Chinese journalists, dissidents and activists seeking international protection.
Coalition warns Bai faces torture and disappearance if Thailand approves Beijing’s extradition request
His plans changed after Thai immigration authorities prevented him from leaving the Kingdom. Since January 2026, he has remained in immigration detention while his legal status remains unresolved.
During that period, Beijing intensified efforts to secure his return. Authorities in the Chinese city of Yulin issued an arrest warrant during 2024 after Bai had already fled the country. As a result, rights groups say he now faces an immediate risk of deportation.
More than 50 international press freedom and human rights organisations have now joined the campaign. The coalition is led by RSF and Safeguard Defenders. It is urging Bangkok to reject China’s extradition request.
Its joint statement says Bai faces a foreseeable, personal and immediate risk if returned. The groups warn of political persecution, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and other serious human rights violations.
In response, Laura Harth, a director at Safeguard Defenders, urged Thailand to resist increasing pressure from Beijing. “Thai authorities must withstand the growing pressure from China to forcibly detain and return individuals sought for clear political persecution by the Chinese Communist Party and uphold its commitments under international and domestic torture prohibitions,” she said.
RSF says China jails 120 journalists as campaign broadens over Bai and Zhang detention in Thailand today
Separately, RSF Asia-Pacific Advocacy Manager Aleksandra Bielakowska appealed directly to Prime Minister Anutin.
“The international community must unite pressure on the Thai government to ensure Bai Zhaodong’s safety,” she said. “If forcibly returned to China, the journalist will almost certainly face arbitrary detention, torture and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment as retaliation for his investigations into the Chinese Communist Party’s highest officials.” She also called for Bai to be allowed to travel safely to a third country of his choosing.
Notably, Bielakowska said China remains the world’s leading jailer of journalists. According to RSF, 120 reporters are currently imprisoned there. “Should Bai be forcibly returned to China, he would face not only persecution but also grave risks to his personal safety,” she said.
On another front, Zhang Xinyan remains detained at the same Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre. The 55-year-old activist was arrested only hours before her scheduled departure for Canada. She had already secured refugee resettlement through the United Nations. Zhang is among 19 overseas activists targeted by Hong Kong police arrest warrants issued in July 2025 under Beijing’s National Security Law.
Human Rights Watch links Bai and Zhang cases as Thailand faces scrutiny over refugee security
Human Rights Watch says Zhang and Bai are among four critics of Beijing currently facing possible deportation from Thailand. The organisation says they either hold refugee status or are seeking international protection. Their cases have become closely watched by international rights groups.
Against that backdrop, Bai’s detention has become one of Thailand’s most sensitive diplomatic cases. It has unfolded as Bangkok and Beijing strengthen cooperation on trade, investment, technology and regional security.
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However, neither Prime Minister Anutin nor the Thai government has publicly addressed Bai’s individual case during the China visit. No decision has yet been announced on Beijing’s extradition request. For now, Bai remains inside Bangkok’s Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre while the outcome of one of the Kingdom’s most closely watched international cases remains unresolved.
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