SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Thursday there was no evidence to suggest that the detention of a dual-national writer in China was linked to the high-profile arrests of two Canadians.

Payne told journalists in Sydney Australia was seeking clarification over the nature of the detention of Yang Hengjun, a former Chinese diplomat who is now an Australian citizen. She also said Australia was seeking consular access to Yang.

Yang was detained shortly after he flew in to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou from New York last week.