Communist China should be “given no respect” when it arbitrarily detains and arrests foreign citizens like Australian citizen Cheng Lei, according to former Victorian Liberal Party President Michael Kroger.

Australian Journalist Cheng Lei was detained in China six months ago, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne has now confirmed she was formally arrested last Friday, accused of leaking state secrets.

Mr Kroger said the Chinese spokespeople push “nonsense and bulldust” and then expect the rest of the world to “believe this drivel” about respecting their processes.

“This is a government where 99 per cent of people charged are found guilty,” he said.

“It is a dictatorial, repressive, communist regime. It’s one of the last and worst communist regimes in the world, and they should be given no respect at all on issues like this”.

Former Labor minister Stephen Conroy told Sky News China is becoming increasingly adept at “hostage diplomacy”.

He said the arrest is a broader more “chilling message” when it comes to issues around Hong Kong, free trade, and Taiwan.

“This is just another little message to the rest of the world.”