Australian writer and academic Yang Jun, imprisoned in China since 2019 for espionage charges that he disputes, has been given a suspended death sentence in this country, Australia announced Monday, February 5, expressing its dismay.
“The Australian government is appalled by this decision,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said at a press conference, stressing that Canberra would react “in the strongest terms”.
Yang Jun, born in China in 1965, was tried behind closed doors in 2021. This trial, for which no verdict had been made public, was strongly criticized by human rights defenders.
The writer, also known as Yang Hengjun, claimed in May 2021 that he had been tortured at an undisclosed location during his detention, fearing that a forced confession would be used against him. Beijing rejected these accusations.
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In August 2023, Yang Jun said he feared for his life in detention due to a large cyst on his kidney.
Penny Wong said on Monday that Canberra had summoned the Chinese ambassador to Australia. “I want to highlight the acute distress that Dr. Yang and his family must be feeling today, after years of uncertainty,” the minister said.
“All Australians want Dr Yang to be reunited with his family,” said Penny Wong.
Improving relationships
Residing in the United States, Yang Jun was arrested during a return to China in January 2019. He is the author of a series of spy novels as well as a popular Chinese-language blog.
This conviction, which was not immediately confirmed by Beijing, comes at a time when Sino-Australian relations appeared to be improving, notably with the release in October 2023 of Australian journalist Cheng Lei, also imprisoned in China for espionage charges.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated in 2018, when Australia excluded the Chinese Huawei from its 5G telephone network.
Beijing had also criticized Canberra for police raids on the homes of Chinese journalists based in Australia, carried out as part of an investigation into a potential influence campaign.
Canberra had also irritated Beijing by calling for an international investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, which started in China.
In response, Beijing had notably imposed high customs duties on many Australian export products, including meat, wine and barley, and halted its coal imports. Most of these measures have been lifted since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came to power in May 2023. The center-left leader visited Beijing in November, welcoming an “undeniable” improvement in ties between the two countries.
Australia, which formed the Aukus military alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom, however, is still seeking to counter China's influence in the South Pacific.
With AFP
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