Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop offered updates about the ongoing dispute over the detention of Crown Resorts employees in China.

The minister revealed that there is another Australian detained by the Chinese authorities. However, the fourth person is not employed by Crown.

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Speaking with ABC on Sunday, Bishop said there are now four Australians involved in the case. It was noted, though, that the fourth person, believed to be a man, is not an employee of Crown, but is being held along with the Crown employees.

The minister also stated that it took considerable time to negotiate consular access for the detainees as some of them held more than one passports. Eventually, it was agreed that the four employees will be regarded as Australian citizens.

Bishop said there is no information about the potential charges which may be faced by the detainees. The minister elaborated that the Chinese law allows for the maximum detention of 37 days, without charges. It is believed that mainland China authorities have obtained information about the movement of huge amounts of currency by seizing phones, laptops and computers from the detainees.

According to the Australian minister, the detention may be "part of President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign involving government officials."

China is currently carrying out massive anti-corruption campaign in the mainland, which targets illegal cross-border flow of currency, mainly through casinos.

Gambling and its promotion is illegal in China. The organizing of trips with 10 or more people to foreign casinos for gambling is also deemed illegal in the country.

TagsAustralia, Crown Resorts, Julie Bishop