The BBC's long-serving China correspondent has fled to Taiwan after facing threats of legal action, obstruction and intimidation from Chinese authorities.
John Sudworth said he and his family 'left in a hurry' on March 23 after being under surveillance - and were 'followed by plainclothes police all the way to the airport'.
China's foreign ministry said they 'never threatened' Mr Sudworth, adding that they 'don't know why he left because he didn't say goodbye'.
The BBC said Mr Sudworth is still their China correspondent and said his work 'exposed truth the Chinese authorities did not want the world to know'.
It comes amid rising tensions between the BBC and China over the latter's condemnation of the corporation's reporting on Xinjiang, Covid-19 and Hong Kong.