The sons of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who has been detained in China for more than four years, urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to press the case for their father’s release during his visit to Beijing.
In an open letter to Albanese, published Wednesday and titled “Saving Our Father,” Yang’s sons said they had been inspired by the freeing of Australian journalist Cheng Lei last month and hoped for a “second miracle” from the Australian government.
Albanese travels to China for four days beginning Saturday, the first visit by an Australian prime minister since 2016. In the lead up to the trip, there has been a significant warming in relations between Canberra and Beijing, including the relaxation of trade sanctions on barley and coal and the release of Cheng.
Yang’s sons urged the prime minister to draw the line on further improvements in relations until their father is released.
“We ask that you make clear that it is not possible to stabilise the bilateral relationship with a government that is holding an Australian citizen just a few kilometres south of where you will be hosted,” the letter said.
Despite better ties, there has been no public indication of a breakthrough on Yang’s detention. He was arrested on suspicion of espionage in January 2019 during a regular visit to China. In recent months, his family has raised concerns about his health, with the writer warning that he could die in prison.
In an excerpt of a note written by Yang to his sons, included in their letter, the Australian writer told them not to worry about him because the government was working on his case. “I just hope I will be able to get out, alive,” he wrote.
Albanese said Wednesday that he had raised Yang’s case with both President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in the past 12 months, and would always make representations on behalf of Australians.
He told reporters in Sydney that he had replied to Yang’s family, adding the government was “very sympathetic” and understood “the concerns that they would have for their father and for this Australian who has been detained now for a long period of time.”
