Government Must Shift Course on How It Deals With Authoritarian Regimes

Australia’s response to Beijing’s decision to hand a suspended death sentence to a citizen has been weak.

Australian embassy staff walk in front of the Beijing No. 2 People's Intermediate Court, where the trial of Australian journalist Cheng Lei took place, in Beijing, on March 31, 2022. Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

If the reaction of the Australian government to the imposition of a suspended death penalty on Yang Hengjun is any indication of future attitudes to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it is dangerous and depressing.