Relations between Beijing and Washington, already cold, could become icy. An American was sentenced Monday in China to life in prison for espionage. This 78-year-old man is a permanent resident of Hong Kong. Such a heavy sentence aimed at a foreign citizen on this ground is relatively rare in the Asian country.
This announcement comes against the backdrop of a trip to Japan by US President Joe Biden, who is due to participate in the G7 summit in Hiroshima from May 19 to 21. John Shing-wan Leung, also known as Liang Chengyun, “was guilty of espionage and was sentenced to life imprisonment as well as lifetime deprivation of political rights”, said on Monday in a press release the Intermediate People’s Court of Suzhou (eastern China).
The alleged facts kept secret
His personal property was also confiscated to the tune of 500,000 yuan (66,000 euros) during this first instance trial which was held on Monday, probably behind closed doors, as is generally the case in this type of case. The Suzhou authorities in charge of state security had taken “coercive measures” against this American citizen as early as 2021, according to the press release, a formulation which generally refers to detention.
The press release does not mention the precise nature of the charges against John Shing-wan Leung, nor what was his profession or activity in China. A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Beijing said it is aware of reports that a US citizen was sentenced in Suzhou.
The national anti-espionage law
“The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens abroad,” the embassy said. “For reasons of confidentiality, we have no further comments to make. This condemnation risks further degrading Sino-American relations.
They have been tense in recent years due to disagreements on many subjects: the trade imbalance, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority, rivalry in the technology sector or the Chinese balloons affair in last February. At the end of April, the Chinese Parliament adopted amendments to the national anti-espionage law, which now more explicitly prohibits the transfer outside China of any information related to national security and broadens the notion of espionage.