The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed consular officials have made contact with detained Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun.

Key points: Chinese officials first reported they knew nothing about Mr Yang's detention, but later confirmed it

Chinese officials first reported they knew nothing about Mr Yang's detention, but later confirmed it Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said his Chinese counterpart claimed Mr Yang "would be treated well"

Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said his Chinese counterpart claimed Mr Yang "would be treated well" Mr Yang briefly "disappeared" in Guangzhou in 2011, emerging a few days later claiming a misunderstanding

In a statement, the department said it would "continue to make representations to China to ensure that this matter is dealt with transparently and fairly", and that it had spoken with Chinese authorities to clarify the nature of his detention.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne mirrored similar sentiments in a statement on Thursday.

The former Chinese foreign ministry staffer flew to the southern city of Guangzhou with his family last week, and Feng Chongyi, a professor at the University of Technology Sydney, told the ABC Mr Yang was taken away by 10 state security police upon his arrival.

However, the ABC has not been able to independently verify this claim.

Chinese officials first reported they knew nothing about Mr Yang's detention, but later confirmed his "residential" detention on Wednesday.

Defence Minister Christopher Pyne, who is currently on a ministerial visit to China, said his counterpart Wei Fenghe said earlier on Friday that Mr Yang "would be treated well".

China emboldened to detain foreign nationals

Chinese-born foreign nationals have previously been detained in China upon their return. ( Reuters )

This is not the first time Mr Yang has gone silent after travelling to Guangzhou.

He briefly "disappeared" in 2011 and emerged a few days later claiming there was a misunderstanding, after Australian consular officials stepped in to advocate on his behalf.

His second brush with the Chinese state has come amid fears of Beijing's emboldened capacity to detain nationals under opaque circumstances.

Two Canadian diplomats remain in detention, which has sparked a cooling of the China-Canada relationship — an action some believe is in retaliation to the Ottowa's decision to arrest Huawei executive Meng Zhou in accordance with a US extradition request.

Earlier this month, a Chinese court sentenced a Canadian national Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death after he appealed an earlier 15-year sentence for drug smuggling.

In November, award-winning New York-based photographer Lu Guang — whose work had covered the inequalities of China's rapid industrialisation — was arrested in Urumqi.

DFAT has been approached for further comment.

ABC/wires

