U.S.-Based Scholar Convicted in China, Family Says

A Chinese court convicted a U.S.-based, Chinese-born academic on espionage charges today and sentenced her to a 10-year prison term, her family said.

The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court found Gao Zhan guilty after a one-day trial in which Gao spoke in her own defense and maintained her innocence.

Gao, 39, a researcher at American University in Washington, was detained along with her husband and son by state security agents as they prepared to return to the U.S. after a visit to China in February.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” said Xue Donghua, Gao’s husband, speaking by telephone from Virginia. Xue said the verdict “is a strong signal from the Chinese government that they’re not buying the U.S. position, even in a case that has been so closely watched by the U.S. government.”

Gao is one of five academics with ties to the U.S. who have been detained or arrested in an apparent anti-subversion campaign mounted by Chinese state security forces in recent months.

Resolving the issue of the detentions has been a top priority for U.S. officials, including recently arrived U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt Jr., and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who will travel to Beijing in four days to prepare for an October visit by President Bush.

The detentions prompted the State Department to issue a warning to ethnic Chinese academics about conducting sensitive research in China, and spurred China scholars worldwide to petition Chinese President Jiang Zemin to halt the crackdown.

U.S. Embassy officials were barred from attending the trial as Gao is a Chinese national who holds a U.S. green card.

According to Gao’s lawyer, Bai Xuebiao, Gao suffers from heart ailments and has applied for medical parole. In past, Chinese authorities have granted dissidents medical parole and then expelled them from the country in a concession to foreign public opinion.

Gao was accused of helping an American business professor, Li Shaomin, who was convicted July 14 of spying for Taiwan.

Gao’s lawyers have said she gave Li photocopied articles about Taiwan. They said Gao knew some were not meant for widespread distribution, but they said she had no reason to think they were secret.

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Associated Press contributed to this report.