Barnaby Joyce lashes out at China after it put an Australian actor on death row

An Australian actor sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling is being used as a political pawn by the communist government, Barnaby Joyce claimed.

Karm Gilespie moved to Asia to ‘go into business’ with a Thai woman he fell in love with, friends have said, but was arrested in December 2013.

Chinese officials alleged he was busted at Hong Kong airport with 7.5kg of meth in his luggage, sentencing him to death on June 10 this year. 

‘I can’t say definitely yes or no, I can only suspect,’ Mr Joyce replied when asked whether the punishment was linked to a political dispute with Australia.

‘And I suspect it is. 

‘They know our position on the death penalty, they know that we find it abhorrent.’

His impending death at the hands of a firing squad comes as relations with China hit an all-time low, amid a trade dispute sparking by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The former actor (pictured) faces being killed by firing squad as punishment for alleged drug smuggling

Speaking on Sunrise on Monday, the Nationals MP went on to accuse China of not giving Mr Gilespie a fair trial. 

‘In China, their legal system has no resemblance to ours whatsoever.

‘But obviously even on that, the fact that a person is going lose their life after what we would deem to be not even a proper trial, is obviously abhorrent.

‘The fact that another person is going to be responsible for killing another person to try to prove that damage to other people is wrong, doesn’t make sense to most people either.’   

It comes amid increasing calls for the government to intervene and try to save the actor’s life. 

But trade minister Simon Birmingham has said the sentencing should not be linked to the ongoing friction between the countries. 

‘This is a reminder to all Australians … that Australian laws don’t apply overseas, that other countries have much harsher penalties, particularly in relation to matters such as drug trafficking,’ the minister told Sky News on Sunday. 

Barnaby Joyce (pictured) accused China of using the actor for politician gain during an increasingly tense stand-off with Australia

Barnaby Joyce (pictured) accused China of using the actor for politician gain during an increasingly tense stand-off with Australia

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, the state Mr Gilespie is from, has admitted there is little his state government can do to save the actor.

Most of Mr Gilespie’s friends and family members had no idea where he had been for the past seven years until it was revealed last week he was languishing in a Chinese jail.

The now 56-year-old fell head over heals for a Thai woman before leaving his life in Australia behind to be with her, a friend has claimed.

He told his Facebook friends he was in a new relationship on July 20 2013, just months before his contact with his loved ones suddenly stopped. 

American woman Jill Parris, who had been pen pals with Mr Gilespie since they were 13, said the last time she spoke to him in 2013 he was gushing about his new partner.

‘I received a phone call from Karm and he was over the moon in love with a new woman, he was so excited about going on a business trip with to Thailand,’ she wrote.  

‘I was reserved with my concerns as I didn’t want to rain on his excitement-parade.’

Australian man Karm Gilespie (pictured) had not been heard of since December 2013

Australian man Karm Gilespie (pictured) had not been heard of since December 2013

She said the phone call was mysterious and had worried her. 

Over the phone Mr Gilespie told Ms Parris how ‘fabulous, smart and wise’ his new girlfriend was. 

Ms Parris made her friend ‘promise to get in touch’ when he got to Thailand.

‘The man never not called or wrote to me in the 38 past years of our lives… so when he didn’t get back in touch I was immediately scared it was due to something beyond his control,’ Ms Parris said.  

‘It just was not in his character to not communicate with me nor was he found anywhere on the internet.

‘He vanished.’ 

Mr Gilespie had been married twice before running off to Asia to be with his new girlfriend.

His friend Roger Hamilton (left) posted a statement on Facebook telling how he had last seen Mr Gilespie (second from left) in 2013 at a financial forum (pictured), before he 'disappeared'

His friend Roger Hamilton (left) posted a statement on Facebook telling how he had last seen Mr Gilespie (second from left) in 2013 at a financial forum (pictured), before he ‘disappeared’

President Xi Jinping (pictured on May 22) has been accused of covering up the coronavirus pandemic when it broke out in late 2019

President Xi Jinping (pictured on May 22) has been accused of covering up the coronavirus pandemic when it broke out in late 2019

The second wife and his two children are believed to make up the small group who were informed about his arrest in 2013.

A government source told The Australian before Mr Gilespie’s fate was made public, no family or friend had looked into it since he vanished.

‘There’s no one out there batting for him,’ the source said. 

Ms Parris said from her home in Stockton, California, that her pen pal was always searching for a better life. 

Throughout high school he dreamed of being a professional AFL player before moving into acting, but after 20 years he grew tired of not being taken seriously. 

Australian man Karm Gilespie (pictured) has been sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling, almost seven years after he was arrested

Australian man Karm Gilespie (pictured) has been sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling, almost seven years after he was arrested

Mr Gilespie had a recurring role on popular 1990s drama Blue Heelers before moving into wealth and financial management in 2009.

The new career path led him to spend more time in Asia, away from his hometown in rural Victoria. 

Friends expressed their shock at the news and told how they had been trying to fin him since 2013 without luck.

American entrepreneur Roger Hamilton posted a statement on Facebook telling how he had last seen Mr Gilespie in 2013 at a financial forum, before he ‘disappeared’. 

‘This is a photo of Karm Gilespie (in the red shirt) graduating from our WD Masters 7 years ago. Soon after, Karm disappeared,’ Mr Hamilton wrote. 

Diplomatic ties between Australia and China are at an all time low, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) called for an inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic

Diplomatic ties between Australia and China are at an all time low, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) called for an inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic

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