“78-year-old American sentenced to life in prison for spying in China amid worsening US-China relations”

A 78-year-old American, permanent resident of Hong Kong, was sentenced Monday, May 15 in China to life in prison for ” spying “which should further strain relations between Beijing and Washington, already at an all-time low.

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.

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John Shing-wan Leung, also known as Liang Chengyun, “was guilty of espionage and was sentenced to life imprisonment and lifelong deprivation of political rights”the Intermediate People’s Court of Suzhou (east China) said in a statement on Monday.

The precise nature of the facts unknown

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 usually the case in this type of case. .

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The Suzhou authorities in charge of state security had taken measures from 2021 “coercive measures” against this American citizen, according to the press release, a formulation which generally refers to detention.

The press release does not mention the precise nature of the facts with which John Shing-wan Leung was accused, nor what his profession or activity was in China.

Deterioration of Sino-American relations

A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Beijing said they are aware of reports that a US citizen was sentenced in Suzhou. “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. »

In any case, the announcement risks further degrading the already strained Sino-American relations. These have cooled in recent years due to disagreements on many subjects: the trade imbalance, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority or even rivalry in the technology sector. Without forgetting, in February, the affair of the Chinese balloons.

Foreigners regularly accused of spying in China

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. A Chinese journalist known for his outspokenness, Dong Yuyu, was formally charged with espionage at the end of April.

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Foreigners are routinely accused in China of espionage or similar crimes. In February, a Japanese man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for espionage. Chinese-Australian writer Yang Jun was arrested in January 2019 for the same reason.

Canberra had called last week for the release of Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who has been in detention for more than 1,000 days and who worked on the Chinese public channel in English CGTN. This 40-year-old mother of two is being prosecuted by Beijing for “disclosure of state secrets abroad”.