China sentences Americans to life imprisonment for espionage

2023-05-15 06:58:00

A court in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou announced that John Shing-Wan Leung, who has a US passport and permanent residence in Hong Kong, was convicted on Monday. In addition, Leung’s assets of 500,000 yuan (about 66,000 euros) were confiscated. Leung was reportedly arrested in April 2021 on suspicion of espionage. No further details were given. Against the background of tense relations, the USA has also increasingly taken action against Chinese accused of espionage in recent years.

At the end of April, China changed its espionage law to protect not only state secrets but also very vaguely defined “national interests”. In the past few weeks, an anti-espionage campaign against international consulting firms has also gained momentum. In a coordinated effort, investigators searched offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Suzhou and other cities.