Chinese-born Australian academic and author Yang Jun will go on trial in China on espionage charges next week, after spending more than two years in detention, Canberra's foreign minister has confirmed.

Yang is one of two high-profile Australians detained in China on spying allegations amid escalating tensions between Canberra and Beijing.

The trial for Yang, who also goes by his pen name Yang Hengjun, will begin on Thursday, Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement late Friday.

"Despite repeated requests by Australian officials, Chinese authorities have not provided any explanation or evidence for the charges facing Dr Yang," Payne said.

"We have conveyed to Chinese authorities, in clear terms, the concerns we have about Dr Yang's treatment and the lack of procedural fairness in how his case has been managed."

Payne also called for Australian officials to be granted access to the trial, criticising a process that she said had so far been "closed and opaque".

But the Chinese embassy in Canberra labelled Payne's comments "deplorable" and said Yang's rights were being respected.

"The Australian side should respect China's judicial sovereignty and refrain from interfering in any form in Chinese judicial authorities' lawful handling of the case," an embassy spokesperson said in a statement.

Yang, who denies the charges, was arrested on a rare return to China from his home in the United States in January 2019.

Another Australian, TV anchor Cheng Lei has been held since August accused of "supplying state secrets overseas".

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have plummeted since Canberra called for an independent probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and banned telecoms giant Huawei from building Australia's 5G network.

China has already imposed tariffs or disrupted more than a dozen key industries, including wine, barley and coal, decimating exports.

In September, two Australian journalists were rushed out of China after police sought to question them. Beijing has accused Canberra of raiding the homes of Chinese state media journalists as Australia investigates an alleged campaign of covert influence.

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Amazon to extend ban on police use of face recognition tech
Washington (AFP) May 18, 2021
Amazon said Tuesday it is extending its ban on the use of its facial recognition tools for law enforcement, amid persistent concerns of bias in the technology. The tech giant last June announced it was implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of its technology, saying the pause could give Congress time to enact safeguards against misuse of facial recognition. The company confirmed Tuesday an extension of that ban "until further notice" without elaborating. Last year's move came amid ... read more