Renewed calls for China to free Australian writer Yang five years on

SYDNEY -- Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the government remains "deeply troubled" by the indefinite detention of writer Yang Hengjun, five years after his arrest in China.

Wong released a statement on Friday to mark the anniversary of the activist's detention at Guangzhou airport in 2019 during a period of strained relations between Canberra and Beijing. Accused of espionage, Yang faced a closed-door trial in May 2021, but no verdict has been handed down.