In China, suspended death sentence against Australian writer Yang Jun

The decision was received as a blow in Australia: one of its nationals, the writer Yang Jun, was given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court, Canberra announced on Monday. Beijing accuses him of espionage, an attack he denies. However, Sino-Australian relations have been placed under the sign of détente since the end of 2023, after several years of tension.

China confirmed the information a few hours later, during a press briefing by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This type of sentence is generally converted to life imprisonment after two years behind bars, subject to good behavior. The writer's lawyers have until February 15 to appeal.

Yang Jun, also called Yang Hengjun, is a 58-year-old writer of Chinese origin who obtained Australian citizenship in 2002. He left to live in the United States with his family, and was arrested in 2019 during a visit to China. for endangering “national security.” He was brought before the Chinese courts two years later, in May 2021, for a closed-door trial, after which no judgment was made public.

Supporters of the writer denounced “political persecution.” Before becoming Australian, Yang Jun was a Chinese diplomat, renowned for his views in favor of democratization of his country. “He is being punished by the Chinese government for his criticism of human rights violations in China and his advocacy of universal values ​​such as human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” the statement said. to the BBC one of his friends, Professor Feng Chongyi of the University of Technology in Sydney. Author of spy novels, Yang Jun also wrote in his Chinese-language blog about China's internal affairs, but without directly criticizing the government.

In the background, a new diplomatic confrontation between Beijing and Canberra is playing out. Since the mid-2010s, Sino-Australian relations have been on a rollercoaster. The two capitals regularly accuse each other of human rights violations or threats against their internal security.

Concerning trade, the two countries alternate between privileged exchanges and low blows. In 2020, almost half of Australia's exports went to China. But after Australia's request for an international investigation into the origin of Covid-19, first detected in China, relations became tense. At the end of 2020, the Chinese government announced sanctions on several Australian products.

The year 2023 offered a glimpse of appeasement. In November, for the first time in seven years, an Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, visited China. A month earlier, Australian journalist Cheng Lei was released from a Beijing prison. She had also been imprisoned for three years for endangering “national security.” His release had led to renewed optimism for his compatriot's future sentence.

The announcement of Yang Jun’s sentencing was “very difficult to hear,” the journalist said. “I hope he has family visits soon and receives all possible help from the Australian government.”

At a press conference Monday afternoon, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong indicated that "the Australian government was appalled by this decision" and that it would respond "in the strongest possible terms." She also announced the summoning of the Chinese ambassador to Australia for an explanation.