The All-China Journalists Association Thursday issued a statement voicing strong condemnation and firm opposition to Australia's gross violation of the rights of its journalists by searching and seizing items from the residences of four Chinese reporters.

In late June this year, Australian security and intelligence staff raided, searched and questioned four Australia-based journalists working for Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group and China News Service, seizing their computers and mobile phones, read the statement.

The Australian side has not yet provided reasonable explanation for searching these journalists or returned all seized items, the statement added.

This behavior of the Australian government grossly violates the legitimate rights in news reporting, personal rights as well as property rights of Chinese journalists based in Australia and seriously disrupts the normal reporting activities of the Chinese media in Australia, read the statement.