Australian academic faces spying charges in China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA - China formally arrested an Australian academic over alleged espionage, media reports said on Tuesday.

Yang Hengjun, 54, was detained in January at the airport in Guangzhou when he landed the Chinese city with his family after flying from the U.S., the Australia's ABC News said.

He was under investigation since then over the charges of alleged espionage, the ABC reported. If proven, the Australian academic may face death penalty or long years in jail.

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said that Hengjun was formally arrested in China on suspicion of espionage on Aug. 23.

“Dr Yang has been held in Beijing in harsh conditions without charge for more than seven months. Since that time, China has not explained the reasons for Dr Yang's detention, nor has it allowed him access to his lawyers or family visits,” Payne said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry had confirmed Yang’s detention in January, claiming he was suspected of "engaging in criminal acts that endangered China's national security".

A visiting scholar at Columbia University, Yang lived in New York with his wife and a child.