Life in jail after spy conviction for Hongkonger with US citizenship

A 78-year-old Hong Kong-born man with US citizenship has been sentenced to life in prison by a court in Jiangsu province for spying in China.

John Leung Shing-wan's conviction and sentence came as Beijing stepped up anti-spying efforts.

They include amending its anti-espionage law last month, including cyberattacks against national institutions, defecting and spying activities. The amended law takes effect on July 1.

Leung, a Hong Kong permanent resident, was arrested by the Suzhou National Security Bureau in Jiangsu on April 15, 2021, for spying.

Suzhou's Intermediate People's Court convicted Leung yesterday and besides sentencing him to life imprisonment it deprived him of political rights for life and confiscated personal property valued at 500,000 yuan (HK$564,000).

While the court provided details including Leung's date of birth and particulars about his HKID and US passport there was nothing about the spying activities.

It is understood Leung has been prominent in organizations in the United States, including the American Chinese Friendship Association, the Texas Council for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification and a friendship association between Oklahoma and Guangzhou.

Leung studied in the United Kingdom at age 16 and went on to work in the United Nations headquarters in New York, according to a People's Daily article in 2004.

He later became a businessman in the United States and was active in business and cultural exchanges between China and the United States. He was said to "love China and support national reunification."

His activities included arranging for foreign business people to visit and invest in China and organizing cooperation between a US vegetable research institute and a seeds company under the Beijing Agricultural Bureau.

Leung led Chinese trade-minded teams to visit the United States, though since 1999 he focused on cultural exchanges, including helping nearly 70 American artists and musical scholars perform and hold lectures in China.

"He not only accompanied these events personally but also provided financial support," the article noted. "Leung's efforts have been fully affirmed by Chinese officials, and he met Chinese leaders many times as an outstanding Chinese representative overseas."

Xinhua News Agency reported in 2015 that Leung supported the one country, two systems principle in an overseas Chinese symposium in Houston.

He backed the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, with the American Chinese Friendship Association he chaired stating that the law "brings stability to Hong Kong."

The Texas Council for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification also said China's governance over Hong Kong and laws implemented in the SAR were the country's internal affairs.

China Press, a Chinese-language newspaper published in the United States, interviewed Leung during President Xi Jinping's visit in 2015.

Leung said Xi is a popular leader and respected by foreign leaders. He added: "Exchanges and interactions between senior officials of China and the United States are the foundation for enhancing the friendship and mutual trust between the Chinese and American people."

Photos circulating online show Leung posing for pictures with Chinese officials including former director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Yang Jiechi.