China Expels 2 U.S. Attaches as Alleged Spies

China today expelled two U.S. Air Force officers charged with spying on military installations--a move that may derail U.S.-Chinese relations just when they seemed to be getting back on track.

The officers “sneaked into a number of restricted military zones in China’s southeast coastal areas and illegally acquired military intelligence by photographing and videotaping,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang said.

The Hong Kong-based officers--Col. Joseph Wei Chan and Capt. Dwayne Howard Florenzie--were “caught on the spot” by Chinese soldiers Saturday, he said. They were ejected early today, according to the U.S. State Department.

“Our understanding is that they have been released, but we don’t have any details on it,” Sharon Bowman, a spokeswoman for the department, told the Associated Press. Bowman said she assumed that the two military attaches were released in Hong Kong.

Beijing’s announcement Wednesday of the expulsions came just after a meeting between Foreign Minister Qian Qichen and Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who attempted to repair deteriorating U.S.-China ties.

The two countries have clashed recently over Washington’s decision to allow Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui to visit Upstate New York; China’s arrest of Chinese American human rights activist Harry Wu; and evidence of Chinese sales of missile parts to Pakistan. These matters have sent relations between the countries to their lowest point since the 1989 Tian An Men Square crackdown.

Significantly, both Qian and Christopher are believed to have known before their meeting about China’s intention to expel the Air Force officers, though White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry said neither raised the issue.

He explained that American diplomats in China were already in contact with Beijing officials, and it is believed that Qian and Christopher, who were at a gathering of Asian leaders in Brunei, wanted to keep their meeting upbeat.

Both Qian and Christopher credited the discussion with producing a modest improvement in relations between Washington and Beijing.

But the timing of the expulsions raised questions about whether China’s security apparatus, or some officials in it, were eager to sabotage the Qian-Christopher meeting--the first high-level summit between the two governments since tensions erupted over Taiwan in the spring.

Military analysts say that gathering intelligence about each other’s forces is routine for both countries; those caught spying are usually dealt with quietly. To detain, then publicly eject the American officers--who hold diplomatic passports and are attached to the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong--during top-level diplomatic efforts to bring about a U.S.-China detente signals that a disgruntled military wants to take a harder line with the United States and is flexing its muscles within China.

“The military has taken a tougher stance now that they have reached the conclusion that U.S. policy toward China is about containment,” said Michael Swaine, a China military analyst at RAND Corp. who just had a round of consultations with army leaders in Beijing. “The Lee Teng-hui visit proved to them that the U.S. wants to restrain Chinese power.”

As the chief purveyor of U.S. policy, Christopher has been the target of several snubs by Chinese hard-liners. When he visited here last year to lay down human rights standards for China to win a renewal of its most-favored-nation trade status, security forces tweaked him by detaining well-known democracy activist Wei Jingsheng.

The secretary fell further from Beijing’s grace this spring after Qian repeated Christopher’s assurances that Lee Teng-hui would not be allowed to visit his alma mater, Cornell University--then was embarrassed when the Americans granted Lee a visa after all.

After Lee’s visit, China recalled its ambassador from Washington. U.S. Ambassador J. Stapleton Roy, whose tour had ended, returned home from Beijing.

In his talk with Qian, Christopher expressed his hope of restoring high-level U.S.-China communication. But he failed to gain approval for Roy’s proposed replacement, former Sen. James Sasser. Christopher also pressed for the early release of Wu, who, after he attempted to cross into China from remote Kazakhstan, was charged with spying.

McCurry downplayed the Air Force officers’ expulsion, though he did not address the espionage charges against them. “As far as I know, they were on authorized travel,” he said. “We’re not aware of anything out of the routine about their travel in China.” He said China had granted them visas.

Concerned U.S. Embassy officials made inquiries when the two officers failed to make daily telephone calls to the Hong Kong Consulate after they entered China on July 23.

Chinese authorities summoned acting U.S. Ambassador Scott Hallford on Tuesday to report that the two men had been taken into custody Saturday. A report by the New China News Agency said the pair applied to enter China to hold consultations with personnel at the U.S. Embassy and consulates, but “the facts are clear and evidence irrefutable” that they were spying.

The Chinese said the two officers had been detained on the nation’s southeast coast, where China has been building up its forces and conducting military exercises and missile tests as part of its demonstration of strength against Taiwan.

McCurry said the United States plans no reprisals for the officers’ ejection.

Farley reported from Beijing and Mann from Brunei.