Chinese authorities have charged a number of Australians with drug offenses that could carry the death penalty.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs said the detained nationals had been given consular support, but it did not say how many were being held or what specific crimes led to their arrests.

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"We are aware that a number of Australians have been detained in China on serious drug charges," the department said. "These individuals are receiving appropriate consular assistance."

The news comes two days after the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warned Australian tourists in China against carrying or using drugs during their visits to the country.

The travel advisory noted that China's drug laws imposed stiff penalties, including death sentence, on serious offenses. 

"The use or possession of even small quantities of 'soft drugs' is illegal and laws are strictly enforced," the department said.

According to the travel warning, this year alone a number of foreigners have been detained and executed for trafficking large quantities of drugs in China.

Citing government sources, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that a number of Australians had been charged with drug offenses since late 2013, but no conviction or sentence had yet been announced.

On whether the Australians could be sentenced to death, a senior source told the newspaper: "It's conceivable, but depends on the judicial system."

The Australian government was taking the cases seriously because Chinese laws required that the death penalty be immediately carried out for serious drug crimes, the source said.

To date, no Australians charged with drug crimes have been executed in China, but convicted drug criminals from South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Pakistan and Britain have been put to death since 2009, according to media reports.

In August, the executions of two South Koreans found guilty of smuggling and trading drugs went ahead, despite Seoul's repeated appeals for clemency.

TagsChina crimes, China drugs, Australia drugs, drug trafficking, China death penalty