China arrests Australian writer on spying charges

Bloomberg

An Australian writer detained in China seven months ago has been formally arrested on suspicion of espionage, triggering swift demands from the government in Canberra that he be allowed to return home.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she was “concerned and disappointed” that Yang Hengjun, a Chinese native who’s now an Australian citizen, would “continue to be criminally detained.” He is one of several detained foreign nationals whose cases have raised concerns about operating on the mainland. Two Canadians — Michael Kovrig, a Hong Kong-based security analyst on leave from Canada’s foreign service, and entrepreneur Michael Spavor — were detained and accused of espionage.
“It is important, and we expect, that basic standards of justice and procedural fairness are met,” Payne said. “I respectfully reiterate my previous requests that if Dr Yang is being held for his political beliefs, he should be released.”
Yang was detained in the southern city of Guangzhou in January after a flight from New York. His lawyer Rob Stary told the Australian newspaper that the precise nature of the espionage allegations weren’t clear, though apparently relate to his “democracy activism.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that Yang’s case was being investigated “according to law” and that China “deplores” Payne’s statement.