US Citizen Sentenced to Life in China on Spying Charges

John Shing-Wan Leung, an elderly US citizen and Hong Kong resident, was sentenced to life imprisonment in China on espionage charges.
The 78-year-old was detained in April 2021, but details of the charges against him were not publicly disclosed.
Leung's secret trial and conviction illustrate China's authoritarian control over legal matters and crackdown on foreign influence.
Strained US-China relations compound the difficulties of appealing the ruling or obtaining further information.
Leung joins a growing list of foreigners ensnared in China's widening anti-espionage campaign targeting businesses and individuals with foreign ties.