John Shing-Wan Leung, a 78-year-old American citizen was found guilty of spying, sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of political rights for life according to the statement from the Intermediate People's Court. The court also ordered the confiscation of about $70,000 worth of his personal property. The news was posted on the WeChat social media platform. Mr Leung who holds a US passport and is also a permanent resident in Hong Kong, was jailed on Monday.
John Shing-Wan Leung was arrested in April 2021 by state security officials. It is not clear where Leung was living during the period of his arrest.
The court located in the southeastern city of Suzhou did not give a specified explanation of the espionage allegations levelled against him.
According to the media in Hong Kong, Mr Leung was head of the Texas branch of the Association for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China (APPRC), which promotes Beijing's claims over Taiwan abroad.
The US Street Journal also reported that Mr Leung was chair of his foundation - the Leung Cultural Exchange Foundation. The foundation used to send musicians to and from China. He frequently travelled to China to meet with government officials.
The two powerful countries are lately involved in clashes over various issues, including Taiwan, China's militarisation of the South China Sea, and the origins of Covid.
一名78歲的美國人因從事間諜活動在中國被判無期徒刑
根據中級人民法院的聲明，現年 78 歲的美國公民梁成雲 (John Shing-Wan Leung) 被判間諜罪，被判處無期徒刑和剝奪政治權利。 法院還下令沒收他價值約 70,000 美元的個人財產。 該消息發佈在微信社交媒體平台上。 梁先生持有美國護照，同時也是香港永久居民，週一被判入獄。
John Shing-Wan Leung 於 2021 年 4 月被國家安全官員逮捕。 目前尚不清楚梁在被捕期間住在哪裡。
位於東南部城市蘇州的法院沒有對針對他的間諜指控作出具體解釋。
據香港媒體報導，梁先生是中國和平統一促進會 (APPRC) 德州分會會長，該會在海外宣傳北京對台灣的主權要求。
《美國街頭日報》還報導說，梁先生是他的基金會——梁文化交流基金會的主席。 該基金會曾經派遣音樂家往返中國。 他經常前往中國會見政府官員。
這兩個強大的國家最近捲入了各種問題的衝突，包括台灣、中國在南中國海的軍事化以及 Covid 的起源。
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