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Updated May 24th, 2021 at 18:14 IST

China defends its handling of Australian writer case

China on Monday defended its handling of Australian writer Yang Hengjun's case following reports that he would be tried by a Chinese court on espionage charges later in the week.

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China on Monday defended its handling of Australian writer Yang Hengjun's case following reports that he would be tried by a Chinese court on espionage charges later in the week.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a daily briefing that authorities handled the case in accordance with the law.

Yang has been held since arriving in China in January 2019 and has had no access to his family. He has had only limited contact with his legal representation, according to Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.

The case comes amid a deepening crisis in relations between Australia and China.

Zhao also reasserted China's claim over Taiwan and warned other countries "not to play with fire" over the issue.

Separately, Zhao refuted a Wall Street Journal report that several researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill with coronavirus-like symptoms in November 2019, a month before the country officially reported the outbreak.

He said the report, based on US intelligence sources, showed that Washington was trying to divert attention from its own research activities.

 

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Published May 24th, 2021 at 18:13 IST

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