China Jails US Citizen for Life on Espionage Charges

By Staff, Agencies

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

John Shing Wan Leung, a Hong Kong permanent resident, was detained in April 2021 by Chinese security services. His sentence was announced on Monday by the Suzhou intermediate people’s court on its public WeChat account. No further information about his trial or charges were listed.

Leung’s sentence also included deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of personal property in the amount of 500,000 yuan. There are no previous reports or notices of Leung’s arrest or trial. Espionage cases in China are treated with almost no transparency, with trials often conducted in secret and long delays between convictions and sentencing. China’s justice system also regularly reports a conviction rate above 99%.

This month, amendments to China’s anti-espionage law came into force, broadening its scope and increasing the risk to foreign individuals and organizations operating in the country, according to observers.

It is not clear what Leung is accused of. Leung, whose Hong Kong and US ID numbers were published by the court, was born in Hong Kong, and was chair of the Texas branch of the Association for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China [APPRC], according to Hong Kong media.

National and state level APPRCs operate around the world, promoting Beijing’s claim over Taiwan and its plans for what it terms “reunification”. They are believed to be connected to the Chinese Communist party’s united front work department, a global influence operation.