Array
Australia’s foreign minister said on Thursday her government was “deeply troubled” by the delays in China resolving espionage allegations against Chinese-Australian Yang Hengjun, while a supporter said the Chinese-born writer and blogger would remain detained until at least April.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised the issue on the anniversary of Yang’s detention in 2019 when he arrived in southern China’s Guangzhou from New York with his wife and 14-year-old stepdaughter.
Yang faced a closed trial on an espionage charge in Beijing in May 2021 and is still waiting for a verdict.
“The Australian government is deeply troubled by the ongoing delays in his case,” Wong said in a statement.
Australia would continue to advocate for the 57-year-old’s interests and wellbeing “at the highest levels,” she said.
Yang’s Sydney-based supporter, Feng Chongyi, confirmed a report in Australia’s Fairfax Media Publications newspapers that the case would not be resolved before April.
The court was recently granted a seventh three-month extension to resolve the case, Feng said.
