A Chinese court has sentenced 81-year-old US citizen and former university professor, Ji Xingbao, to life in prison on charges of spying and illegally obtaining state secrets.
The ruling was made on Saturday by the Intermediate People’s Court of Yantai City in Shandong province.
Ji had been under investigation since April 2018 and was formally arrested in March 2019. He was accused of obtaining and providing foreign entities with “state secrets and intelligence” between 2011 and 2018.
Ji’s family, who reside in the United States, have denied the charges and say he was falsely accused. They have called for his immediate release and are planning to appeal the conviction.
The US embassy in Beijing has expressed its deep concern over the sentencing, and called for the immediate release of Ji.