Yang Hengjun’s detention means China ties ‘morally indefensible’

The doctoral supervisor of ­detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun says Anthony ­Albanese’s attempt to normalise relations with China is ‘morally indefensible’.

Detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun. ​

The doctoral supervisor of ­detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun says Anthony ­Albanese’s attempt to normalise relations with China is “morally indefensible” given Beijing is holding him as a political hostage.

Chongyi Feng, who is a professor at the University of Technology Sydney, has urged the Prime Minister to secure Dr Yang’s ­release “as a top priority” and said his ongoing detainment was “deeply disappointing”.

The comments come after Mr Albanese confirmed he had raised the plight of Dr Yang with Chinese President Xi Jinping in discussions on Monday but did not provide further details.

Dr Yang is in prison in Beijing after being arrested in January 2019. He has still not been ­sentenced.

Dr Feng told The Australian: “It is a morally indefensible ­position for him to completely normalise Australia’s relationship with China while the Chinese government keeps an Australian citizen as a political hostage.

“The top priority must be for Anthony Albanese to bring him back alive and back to Australia and back to freedom. I think now the best way to secure his release is if the issue or request is raised from the highest level of government and now they will have to take him seriously. This is an obviously typical case of political persecution and depends on the political will of the government.”

Dr Feng said it was in China’s interests to release him given the nation was experiencing an economic downturn.

“China is in an economic crisis and it is facing isolation, and in the past several weeks the government has shown the world that they want to show some good will to the outside world, and to democratic countries in particular, to save their economy,” he said.

Last week, Dr Yang’s sons pleaded with Mr Albanese to make clear before he travelled to China on Saturday that there would be no stabilisation of the countries’ relationship until their father was released.

Their appeal, in a five-page letter to Mr Albanese, said Dr Yang’s health had “rapidly declined” in recent weeks and he risked dying from “calculated medical neglect”.

Mr Albanese on Tuesday confirmed he raised Dr Yang’s case with Mr Xi, saying: “Yes, I did raise it. I can confirm I raised it.”

But Strategic Analysis Australia founder Michael Shoebridge said Mr Albanese’s lobbying was unlikely to secure Dr Yang’s ­release amid concern he previously worked for one of China’s intelligence agencies. “I think Mr Albanese knew that when he raised the issue there is no real expectation of it being resolved … I don’t think Beijing has any intention of releasing him,” he said.

Dr Yang’s sons said they were inspired by Australian journalist Cheng Lei’s release by Chinese authorities more than a fortnight ago, and hoped the Prime Minister and his team could “achieve a ­second miracle by saving our ­father”.

Dr Yang is now bedridden, ­according to his sons, and struggling to walk 4m from his cell bed to the toilet.

Australia journalist Cheng ­arrived safely in Melbourne in ­October after she had been imprisoned without sentencing since August 2020.

It involved her pleading guilty to the vague “state secrets” charges that Beijing had made against her, which Canberra has long viewed as trumped up and politically motivated. She spent nearly three years in a Beijing cell.