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Australia
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Australian writer sentenced to death in China may never be executed, Chinese ambassador says

  • The death sentence given to imprisoned Australian writer Yang Hengjun may not be carried out if the former pro-democracy blogger commits no further crimes
  • A pro-democracy blogger and spy novelist, Yang is an Australian citizen born in China who was working in New York before his 2019 arrest at Guangzhou airport

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Yang Hengjun and his wife Yuan Xiaoliang. A pro-democracy blogger and spy novelist, Yang is an Australian citizen born in China who was working in New York before his 2019 arrest at Guangzhou airport. Photo: AP
ReutersandBloomberg
China’s ambassador to Australia said on Monday that the suspended death sentence given last month to imprisoned Australian writer Yang Hengjun may not be carried out if the former pro-democracy blogger commits no further crimes.

The suspended sentence from a Beijing court on espionage charges does not entail immediate execution for Yang, Ambassador Xiao Qian said at the Australian Financial Review Business Summit on Monday.

If Yang complies with the terms of his imprisonment and committed no further crimes, “theoretically there is a chance he will not be executed,” Xiao said.

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His comments mark the first time a Chinese official has noted that Yang might not be executed. Xiao’s comments also echoed the sentiment of Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell, who said last month that concerns over Yang’s sentence were unlikely to impact the outcome of China’s review of wine tariffs that is due later this month.
Yang Hengjun in Tibet autonomous region in July 2014, in this still photo taken from video. A Beijing court last month handed him a suspended death sentence on espionage charges. Photo: Reuters
Yang Hengjun in Tibet autonomous region in July 2014, in this still photo taken from video. A Beijing court last month handed him a suspended death sentence on espionage charges. Photo: Reuters

Xiao also downplayed worries over Yang’s health on Monday and said it was not as grave as described by his family, although it was “not perfect”.

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