Beijing (CNN) A China-born Australian writer accused by Chinese authorities of espionage has been moved to a detention center in Beijing after six months of house arrest, paving the way for formal indictment, one of his lawyers said Friday.

Yang Hengjun's family had earlier told the Australian embassy in Beijing that the writer had been taken to the facility, an Australian foreign ministry spokesman confirmed in a statement Thursday.

The 53-year-old writer routinely posted satirical commentaries critical of the Chinese government to his nearly 130,000 Twitter followers before his detention in January, during a visit to see family in China.

"Australia continues to have consular access and have again asked that (Yang) be granted immediate access to his lawyers," the Australian foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Mo Shaoping, Yang's Beijing-based lawyer, told CNN on Friday that his client's detention status changed Wednesday but his case remained under investigation. Mo added that he was still not allowed to meet Yang due to the "national security" nature of his case.

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