China confirmed Tuesday, August 27, the arrest for espionage of an Australian academic, held incommunicado for seven months. A new case of detention of a foreign national in China that causes tensions between Beijing and Canberra.
Chinese diplomacy said that academic Yang Hengjun was officially arrested on August 23 on charges of espionage. He had been detained since the beginning of the year without charge.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who initially announced the arrest on Tuesday, said she was "very worried" and asked Beijing to "respect the basic standards" of justice.
Yang Hengjun, a pro-democracy activist of Chinese origin, was arrested in January when he had just arrived in China from the United States. The fifties is known to have published on social networks critics of the Chinese government. His Twitter account has more than 125,000 subscribers.
"If he is detained because of his political beliefs, he must be released," said the Australian minister in a statement. "We expect fundamental standards of fairness and procedural fairness to be respected."
"Yang Hengjun's health concerns us very seriously, as well as the conditions under which he is being held," the minister added. This statement was very badly received in Beijing, the spokesman of Chinese diplomacy, Geng Shuang, expressing his "strong dissatisfaction".
Detained in "good health", according to Beijing
"China is a state of law and Australia must respect the judicial sovereignty of China without interfering in any way in cases" processed in the country, he said. He only clarified that the detainee was "in good health".
After months without access to his lawyer or his family, Yang Hengjun is now facing a trial on charges that could lead to long prison terms. The almost total silence of China on this case and its refusal to allow consular visits to the detainee is an additional sticking point in bilateral relations that have deteriorated significantly in recent months.
The statement by Marise Payne was written in particularly strong terms. "Mr. Yang has been detained in Beijing in harsh conditions without charge for more than seven months," the minister wrote. "Since then, China has not explained the reasons for Mr. Yang's detention and has not allowed him access to his supporters or family visits."
The minister said she had raised the issue of Yang Hengjun's fate five times with her counterpart Wang Yi, in person and by letter. His lawyer, Mo Shaoping, told AFP that Yang Hengjun was initially placed "under house arrest in a designated place" and then placed in "criminal detention".
Several foreign nationals arrested in China in recent years
Yang Hengjun is the latest in a series of foreign nationals arrested in China on charges of spying or attempting to steal state secrets. Two Canadians, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and consultant Michael Spavor, were arrested in December.
Australia has always tried to avoid friction with Beijing, but the arrest of Yang Hengjun will heighten the pressure of public opinion to take a tougher stance towards its main trading partner.
There is growing concern in Australia about Chinese influence and China's increasing military presence in the Pacific Ocean. Lucrative contracts between Australian universities and the Chinese government were scrutinized, while the government was accused of failing to protect dissidents and refugees living in Australia.
On Monday, an official investigation found that a Chinese real estate developer with powerful relations had handed A $ 100,000 (60,000 euros) to the Australian Labor Party (Opposition) headquarters before an election in 2015.
With AFP