Beijing in the dark about US case on spy
( 2003-11-28 08:52) (China Daily)
The Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it knew nothing about a US case
against a Chinese-born US resident once convicted by Beijing of spying for
Taiwan, who this week pleaded guilty to illegally selling US technology to the
mainland.
Gao Zhan: Pleading
guilty | "This is a new situation," ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a news
conference. "The Foreign Ministry does not know at all about the relevant
circumstances."
He repeated China's assertion that Gao Zhan, a US-based Chinese sociologist,
had returned to the Chinese mainland many times to spy for Taiwan.
Beijing sentenced her to 10 years in prison in July 2001. But two days later,
on the eve of a visit by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, China granted her
release on the grounds she was in poor health and expelled her to the United
States.
On Wednesday, Gao pleaded guilty in a US district court to one count of
unlawfully exporting a controlled item and one count of filing a false tax
return.
The items at issue are Military Intel 486 DX2 Microprocessors that has
multiple uses, including in missiles to perform identification and
discrimination functions.
They can also be used on aircraft in digital flight control and weapons
fire-control systems. Gao acquired the microprocessors from a Massachusetts
electronics supplier and shipped them to Nanjing SunSea Industry Corp in Nanjing
in October 2000.
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