CHINA - Detains American on spying charges

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China Detains an American, Accuses Him of Spying

WASHINGTON, Apr 20, 2001 -- (Reuters) The Chinese authorities have detained a U.S. citizen of Chinese origin in the southern city of Guangzhou on suspicion of spying for Taiwan, the State Department said on Thursday.

The man, Wu Jianming, was detained on April 8, and a U.S. consular officer visited him on Saturday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a briefing.

"They've informed us that Mr. Wu is being investigated for alleged espionage activities against China on behalf of Taiwan," he added. The United States is concerned about the case, as it is about the detention of another U.S. citizen and two Chinese citizens resident in the United States, he said.

The case adds to the climate of suspicion between China and the United States as Washington prepares to announce a decision next week on what weapons it will sell to Taiwan.

The two countries, despite some progress in talks in Beijing on Thursday, have still not settled a bitter dispute over the U.S. reconnaissance plane that landed on Hainan Island on April 1 after colliding with a Chinese plane.

Beijing angrily demanded on Thursday that the United States repatriate Zhang Honggbao, the leader of the Chinese spiritual sect Zhong Gong, who is on U.S. immigration parole. The Chinese accuse him of rape, fraud and manslaughter.

The other detained U.S. citizen in China is Li Shaomin, who was teaching business at the City University of Hong Kong and was held on February 25 in the southern city of Shenzhen.

The two Chinese with U.S. residence are Gao Zhan, who was teaching at American University in Washington, and Qin Guangguang, who works for a U.S. medical group and was detained in Beijing in December on suspicion of leaking state secrets.

WARNING TO CRITICS

U.S. officials said they could release no other details about Wu because of privacy legislation. In the case of the Chinese who are only permanent U.S. residents, the Chinese authorities have no obligation to allow consular access.

Boucher said that U.S. Embassy officials brought up the four cases at a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday, as they have done repeatedly with similar cases.

"We've made clear that we would like to see all these people released and able to return home," he said. "Some of them are being investigated, we are told, for espionage, and some of them we just don't have much information about."

Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. State Department warned critics of the Chinese government and other visitors to China that they risked detention by China's secret police.

The warning, to Chinese-born U.S. citizens or permanent residents, said the Ministry of State Security was apparently targeting those who had criticized the government or visited Taiwan.

It said, "The Department of State cautions Americans, especially Americans originally from China, that there may be a risk of being detained upon returning to China if they have at any time engaged in activities or published writings critical of Chinese government policies."

"In some cases, travel to Taiwan or involvement with Taiwan media organizations has apparently also been regarded as the equivalent of espionage by the MSS," it added.

-- Anonymous, April 20, 2001


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