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BEIJING – China has sentenced life imprisonment to a citizen United States of America (USA), John Shing-wan Leung (78), for espionage, Monday (15/5/2023). The verdict is expected to strain already damaged relations between Beijing and Washington.
As reported by AFP, Leung, who is a permanent resident of Hong Kong, was found guilty of espionage. “Sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life,” said a statement from the Intermediate People’s Court in the east Chinese city of Suzhou.
“Suzhou authorities took mandatory legal action against 78-year-old Leung in April 2021,” the statement continued. The statement did not say when he was detained. It is unclear where Leung was living at the time of his arrest.
A spokesman for the US embassy in Beijing said they were aware of reports that a US citizen was recently convicted and convicted in Suzhou.
“The Department of State has no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas,” the spokesperson said. “Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment.”
The court statement gave no further details about the charges, and closed-door trials are routine in China for sensitive cases.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin declined to comment further on the case at a regular press briefing on Monday.
The imprisonment is likely to further strain relations with Washington, which are already very tense over issues such as trade, human rights and Taiwan.
Washington and Beijing have just ended an informal lull in high-level contacts over the US shooting down in February of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon.
In a real breakthrough last week, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi held eight hours of talks in Vienna, with both sides describing the meeting as “frank, substantive and constructive.”
(esn)
