Scholar's husband denies Chinese spying charges

Gao Zhan's husband has denied her involvement in spying

BEIJING, China -- The husband of a U.S.-based scholar detained in China has denied Chinese accusations that she spied for foreign intelligence agencies.

A Chinese government spokesman said earlier that Gao Zhan had confessed to spying.

It was the first specific accusation against Gao, a political scientist at American University in Washington, who was detained Februay 11 at Beijing airport after a family trip to China.

Her husband, Xue Donghua, denied the accusation and said Gao's research was purely academic. Xue and the couple's 5-year-old son were detained at the same time and held for 26 days before being allowed to return to the United States. Gao is still in custody.

"Her research, travel to Taiwan and publications are purely academic -- nothing political," Xue said in a statement released Tuesday by Radio Free Asia, a U.S. government-financed broadcaster.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman refused Tuesday to elaborate on the spying charges or say for whom Gao was accused of working.

Sun Yuxi, speaking at a regular press briefing, rejected a U.S. request to release Gao. He said the case is being investigated "according to law."

Gao Zhan has been detained in China since February 11

"Evidence has shown that Gao Zhan accepted missions from overseas intelligence agencies and took funds for spying activities," Sun said.

Xue denied that having taken foreign support for her research meant his wife was a spy.

"As for the so-called 'overseas funding,' all those who conduct research in any American universities know that researchers usually get funding from all sources," his statement said.

The detentions caused a diplomatic uproar that overshadowed the visit last week of a senior Chinese leader to Washington. Vice Premier Qian Qichen had hoped to create a positive atmosphere for dealings with the new Bush administration.

The couple's son, Andrew, was separated from his parents

Officials complained to Qian that China failed to inform the American Embassy of the detention of Gao and Xue's son, Andrew, who is a U.S. citizen.

U.S. diplomats have formally protested China's failure to abide by a treaty requiring notification whenever an American citizen is detained.

China has said the boy, held separately from his parents, was never in police custody and was at a Beijing kindergarten where he was well looked after.

Xue and Gao are permanent U.S. residents who have applied for American citizenship.

Gao has written about Chinese politics and traveled twice to Taiwan, the island democracy that Beijing views as a renegade province.

She is the third Chinese-born researcher in as many years to be detained during a visit home. A Stanford University expert on China's military arrested in 1998 was sentenced last month to 10 years in prison on espionage charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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