That's according to Australian officials.

On Monday, Chang was a high profile TV anchor working in Beijing at China's state owned news channel C g t n, but she was detained last August on suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas.

Australian Foreign Minister Maurice Pain said officials had visited Lee six times since then.

On Friday evening, three Australian government was informed by Chinese authorities through our embassy in Beijing that Australian citizen Chung Lay has now been formally arrested on suspicion off illegally supplying state secrets overseas.

Uh, we will stay in close touch with the Chinese authorities, Aziz that progresses and, as I said, provide all possible support.

Lai's arrest comes after a year of worsening relations between China and Australia.

Australia had lobbied for an international investigation into the source of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Afterward, Beijing slap tariffs on a number of Australian goods like wine following lace attention to Australian foreign correspondents in China were flown back home.

Their departure left Australian media without any correspondence in China for the first time in decades.