Australia – SBS News, July 15, 2025
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s approach has been described as “too weak, too soft” as Yang Hengjun’s friend warns his “life is in danger” in a Chinese prison.
A friend of detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun has called on Anthony Albanese to move past “weak” efforts in advocating for the release of his friend, as the prime minister meets with the Chinese president in Beijing.
Ahead of his fourth meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing, Albanese is facing pressure to advocate for Yang’s release.
Yang, who has been detained since 2019, was handed a two-year suspended death sentence in February 2024 over charges of espionage. He maintains his innocence.
Yang’s friend and his PhD supervisor in Australia, associate professor Feng Chongyi, said Albanese was focusing entirely on trade during the six-day trip, which he said came at the expense of Australian values around human rights.
Feng told SBS News lobbying efforts by Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong to secure his friend’s release were “not working” and had been “too weak, too soft”.
