A Chinese court has sentenced a 78-year-old American to life in prison for espionage, in a case that could further strain already tense ties with the United States.
However, details of the case against John Shing-Wan Leung, who also has permanent residency in Hong Kong, have not been publicly released.
A statement from the Intermediate People’s Court in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou said he “was found guilty of espionage, sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life”.
The statement added that Suzhou authorities “took compulsory measures according to the law” against Leung in April 2021, without specifying when he had been taken into custody.
In a media inquiry, a spokesperson for the US embassy in Beijing said they were aware of reports that a US citizen had been recently convicted and sentenced in Suzhou.
The spokesperson said “The Department of State has no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas,” adding that “Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment.”
Local reports said the court statement provided no further details on the charges, and closed-door trials are routine in China for sensitive cases.
Other high-profile espionage cases in recent years include the arrest in 2019 of Chinese-born Australian writer Yang Jun.
Recently, Australia called for another of its nationals – jailed journalist Cheng Lei – to be reunited with her family after 1,000 days in detention over “supplying state secrets overseas”.
Recall that in April, authorities formally charged a prominent Chinese journalist with spying, more than a year after he was arrested while having lunch at a Beijing restaurant with a Japanese diplomat, a media rights group said.
In April China approved an amendment to its anti-espionage law, broadening its scope by widening the definition of spying and banning the transfer of any data related to what the authorities determine is national security.
According to official reports, the changes to the law will come into force on July 1.
