78-year-old US citizen sentenced to life in Chinese prison for spying

China has sentenced a 78-year-old US citizen, John Shing-Wan Leung, to life in prison on spying charges. The details of the charges have not been publicly released. Leung was detained in April 2021 by China's counterintelligence agency in Suzhou. The sentencing comes amid deteriorating ties between China and the US over trade, technology, human rights, and territorial claims. China's authoritarian political system and absolute control over legal matters, civil society, and freedom of information make it difficult to demand further information or court appeals.