A Chinese court has handed down a suspended death sentence for Australian writer Yang Hengjun, almost five years after he was initially arrested.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the government was appalled at the decision.

“This is harrowing news for Dr Yang, his family and all who have supported him,” she said in a snap media briefing on Monday afternoon.

“Our thoughts are with them. I acknowledge the acute distress they will all be feeling, after many years of uncertainty.”

Yang was detained in 2019 over espionage charges, which he has consistently denied. The case against him has never been publicly disclosed and his trial was held in secret in May 2021.

His verdict had been plagued by continuous delays. It was postponed more than eight times after the conclusion of his trial.

The suspended death sentence revealed on Monday can be converted to a life term in jail after two years, conditional on Yang’s “good behaviour”.

Wong has summoned China’s ambassador to Australia to express the government’s objection to the sentence.

Ambassador Xiao Qian was reportedly seen arriving at the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra later on Monday afternoon. He did not speak to waiting journalists.

“The Australian government has advocated for Dr Yang with China at every opportunity and at the highest levels. We have consistently called for basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment for Dr Yang in accordance with international norms and China’s legal obligations,” Wong said.

“Australia will not relent in our advocacy for justice for Dr Yang’s interests and wellbeing, including appropriate medical treatment, and we will continue to provide consular assistance to him and his family. All Australians want to see Dr Yang reunited with his family.”

Last August, Yang said he feared he might die in jail without proper medical treatment after developing a 10-centimetre cyst on his kidney.

He had been subject to more than 300 interrogations over 18 months, the family spokesman said, including six months of intense torture.

During his detainment, he was deprived of sleep and had his wrists and ankles strapped and pinned to a chair for days at a time.

In their statement, the family spokesman shared a letter from Yang.

“Anyone with a little bit of sense and rationality can observe that the progress of China, and indeed of any people or country in the world, has always depended on the free expression of opinions and criticisms that promote progress and improvement,” Yang wrote.

“Every one of my articles – any one of the paragraphs I have written – can withstand the judgement of the law, of the hearts of men and of history, and every one of them has attempted to contribute to the well-being of the people and the wealth and strength of the nation.”

Yang’s sentence comes three months after Australian journalist Cheng Lei was released from Chinese detention.

A former anchor for the state-run China Global Television Network was accused of national security-related offences when she was arrested in August 2020. She was released last October, and has since returned to Melbourne.

There had been hopes Australia’s improving relationship with China, including easing trade tensions, would lead to a breakthrough in Yang’s case.

Wong refused to be drawn on what Monday’s decision might mean for Australia’s relationship with China.

“I have said stablisation means we cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, and we engage in the national interest,” she said.

“I will make the point this is a decision within China’s legal system. Clearly this is an occasion on which we disagree. However, Australia will continue to advocate for the interests of Dr Yang.”

– with AAP