Chinese-Australian Writer Yang Hengjun Confirmed Detained in China

Yang Hengjun, author and former Chinese diplomat, who is now an Australian citizen, is pictured in an unspecified location in Tibet, China on July, 2014 in this social media image obtained by Reuters. Reuters

The Australian government confirmed late Jan. 23 that Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been detained in China, just as Australia’s Defence Minister Christopher Pyne embarks on an official visit to Beijing.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was alerted on Jan. 23 that Yang, a novelist and influential online commentator, had been detained.