An Australian writer who has been detained by Chinese officials for the past 19 months on spying charges has denied all accusations.

The writer Yang Jun, who also goes by the pen name Yang Hengjun, was born in China, and was detained by Chinese officials in January 2019 during a rare visit to China.

Jun’s lawyer was allowed to meet his client for an hour and he has confirmed that Jun has denied all charge. “He denies the prosecution’s allegations of espionage,” lawyer Shang Baojun said.

Also read: China detains Australian journalist, allows consular access

The detention, some believe, is a direct cause of the growing tension between Australia and China that started due to coronavirus blame-game but has also resulted in several trade policies being affected.

Chinese Foreign Ministry has said it will “act strictly in accordance with the law, fully protecting the legal rights of relevant personnel.”

In a message Jun said that he was “innocent and will fight to the end”, adding he would “never confess” to something he had not done, local reports quoted him saying.

Jun is one of many who have been detained by Chinese officials due to the worsening diplomatic relations between the two countries.