Categories: WORLD

China Sentences 78-Year-Old US Citizen To Life In Prison For Spying

A Chinese court has sentenced a 78-year-old US citizen to life in prison on spying charges.

John Shing-Wan Leung, who is a permanent resident in Hong Kong, was jailed on Monday.

The court in the southeastern city of Suzhou gave no further details of the allegations against him.

Leung was arrested in the city two years ago by a local bureau of China’s counterintelligence agency, a news release from the court said.

He “was found guilty of espionage, sentenced to life imprisonment [and] deprived of political rights for life”, according to the statement from the Intermediate People’s Court which was posted on the WeChat social media platform.

It is unclear where Leung was living at the time of his arrest.

Sponsored

A spokesperson for the US embassy in Beijing said they were aware of the reports. “The Department of State has no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas,” they said.

Closed-door trials are common in China, and few details are usually made public for sensitive cases such as those involving espionage charges.

In July, a new law will come into effect that broadens the scope of China’s espionage legislation. It will ban the handing over of any data the authorities deem to be related to national security.

The jailing is likely to further strain relations between China and the US, which deteriorated during former US President Donald Trump’s administration after he launched a trade war against China in 2018.

The two superpowers continue to clash on various issues, including Taiwan, China’s militarisation of the South China Sea, and the origins of Covid.

Tensions were also heightened in February when the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon, which Beijing insisted was a weather monitoring device.

 

SPONSORED
Nobert Okechukwu

Recent Posts

Tinubu’s Economic Reforms Not Responsible For Hunger, Stampede — FG

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has warned politicians against linking stampedes…

2 hours ago

Ohafia Community In Mourning As Trailer Crushes Many Christmas Travelers To Death (Photos, Video)

Ohafia, Abia State, was plunged into mourning on Sunday following a tragic accident involving a…

2 hours ago

After 25 Years, Democracy Yet To Meet Citizen’s Expectations — Bugaje

An Islamic scholar and political activist, Dr. Usman Bugaje, has highlighted the inability of the…

7 hours ago

Tinubu’s 2025 Budget Full Of Unrealistic Expectations, Says SDP’s Adebayo

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general elections, Prince…

9 hours ago

VP Shettima Saddened Over Stampedes That Killed Dozens Of People, Says It’s National Tragedy

Vice President Kashim Shettima has mourned the victims of the recent tragic stampedes that claimed…

10 hours ago

Yuletide: NACA Urges Nigerians To prioritize Their Health, Know Their HIV Status

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS has advised Nigerians to prioritize their health…

11 hours ago