China foreign ministry says Australian writer Yang guilty of espionage

China's foreign ministry said on Monday that Australian writer Yang Hengjun is guilty of espionage and was given the death sentence with a two-year suspension.

A Beijing court handed the writer a suspended death sentence, threatening a recent rebound in bilateral ties after several years of strained relations between Beijing and Canberra.

China allowed the "Australian side to sit in on the sentencing", a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said at a regular press briefing when responding to a query on the case.