Australian writer of Chinese origin Yang Jun, jailed in China since 2019 on espionage charges he denies, was given a suspended death sentence in that country on Monday, Beijing and Canberra announced.
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This condemnation is likely to put renewed strain on relations between the two countries, which had calmed down since last year.
Born in 1965, novelist and blogger, proponent of China's democratization, Yang Jun is a former Chinese diplomat who became an Australian citizen in 2002.
He is also known by his alias Yang Hengjun and was arrested while living in the United States during a visit to China in January 2019.
A court in Beijing declared Yang Jun “guilty of espionage” on Monday, Wang Wenbin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a regular news conference.
The court “sentenced him to death with a two-year reprieve and confiscated all his personal property,” he said.
Specifically, a suspended death sentence in China is generally commuted to life imprisonment after two years in prison.
“The Australian government is appalled by this decision,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said earlier in the day.
During a press conference she assured that Canberra would respond “in the strongest possible terms”.
“Acute stress”
In August 2023, Yang Jun said he feared for his life in detention because of a large cyst in his kidney.
The writer claimed in May 2021 that he was tortured during his detention at an unknown location out of fear that forced confessions would be used against him. Beijing rejected these allegations.
Penny Wong said on Monday that Canberra had summoned the Chinese ambassador to Australia.
“I would like to highlight the acute need that Dr. Yang and his family must feel today after years of uncertainty,” the minister said.
“All Australians want Dr. Yang will be reunited with his family,” she said.
Yang Jun, who lives in the United States, was arrested in January 2019 while returning to China. He is the author of a number of spy novels and a popular Chinese-language blog.
This belief comes at a time when China-Australia relations appear to be improving, particularly with the release of Australian journalist Cheng Lei in October 2023.
The former anchor of English-language Chinese public television CGTN, who is also imprisoned in China, was arrested in the name of “national security.”
Relations between the two countries soured in 2018 when Australia banned private Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G phone network.
Close relationships
Beijing had also criticized Canberra for police raids on the homes of Chinese journalists based in Australia as part of an investigation into a possible influence campaign.
Canberra had also angered Beijing by calling for an international investigation into the origins of the virus responsible for Covid-19, which was first discovered in China.
In response, Beijing notably imposed high tariffs on many Australian export products, including meat, wine and barley, and halted its coal imports.
Most of these measures have been lifted since Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came to power in May 2023. The center-left leader visited Beijing in November and welcomed an “undeniable” improvement in relations between the two countries.
However, Australia, which has formed the Aukus military alliance with the US and the UK, is still trying to counter China's influence in the South Pacific.
In particular, Canberra must purchase three nuclear submarines from the US in the 2030s and in December concluded a security agreement with Papua New Guinea, which China also sought.