This undated photo shows Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. (PHOTO / IC)
The Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that Yang Jun, an Australian citizen, was arrested on suspicion of committing espionage.
Yang, a Chinese-born Australian, was arrested Friday by the Beijing State Security Bureau after the approval of prosecutors, ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily news conference.
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The case is undergoing further processing as it is handled by the Chinese state security authority in accordance with the law, Geng said.
The rights of Yang Jun - the Australian citizen arrested on suspicion of committing espionage - are fully guaranteed and he is in good health, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang
Reuters quoted Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne as saying that Yang has been held in Beijing in harsh conditions.
Yang's rights are fully guaranteed, and he is in good health, Geng said.
China is strongly dissatisfied with the statement made by Australia, he said, adding that China operates under the rule of law, and Australia should respect China's judicial sovereignty and stop interfering in the lawful handling of the case.
Also on Tuesday, China expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to a statement from the G7 Summit concerning Hong Kong affairs.
The statement issued on Monday said that the G7 reaffirms the existence and importance of the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 on Hong Kong and calls for violence to be avoided.
"We have repeatedly stressed that Hong Kong's affairs are purely China's internal affairs and that no foreign government, organization or individual is entitled to intervene," Geng said.
Protests and violence have lasted over two months in Hong Kong, and have undermined the rule of law, order, the economy and international image of the region, he said.
No one cares more about the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong than the Chinese people, including Hong Kong residents, he said.
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"We can properly deal with our own business," he said, urging the G7 members to stop their malicious intentions to meddle in others' affairs.
Geng underscored that the ultimate purpose and core content of the declaration is to determine that China takes back Hong Kong and resumes sovereignty over the region.
According to international laws and basic norms governing international relations, no country or organization has the right to interfere in Hong Kong affairs under the guise of the declaration, he added.
