Taiwan at center of scholar spying allegations

Xue Donghua says his wife's research focuses on Taiwan and China

By Staff and wire reports

HONG KONG, China -- China's Foreign Ministry is expected to elaborate on spying allegations against the U.S. based scholar Gao Zhan, who has been detained for 45 days.

Sources close to the security establishment in Beijing said Gao, a political scientist at American University in Washington, was being held for allegedly supplying "internal Chinese government information" to Taiwan.

They said the information might have to do with Beijing officials' assessments of the cross-Straits situation.

Husband pleas with China CNN's Veronica Pedrosa speaks with Xue Donghua 2.44Mb/3:52 AIFF or WAV sound

Part of the investigations of Gao by state security personnel is understood to be about her dealings with Taiwan.

A Western diplomat in Beijing said it was likely the detention of Gao had to do with "retaliation" against the recent defection to the United States by Senior Colonel Xu Junping.

"Agents from the Ministry of State Security are keeping close tabs on foreign scholars -- particularly those of ethnic Chinese origin -- doing research in Beijing and other major cities," the diplomat said.

"They might have pounced on Gao to send a message of toughness to both Washington and Taipei. That Gao is not yet a U.S. citizen might persuade Beijing they could face less pressure from the international community."

Members of the U.S. Congress hope to hasten the release of Gao by granting her U.S. citizenship.

"It would strengthen the hand of the State Department and further press the urgency of the situation," Matt Raymond, a spokesman for Senator George Allen said Wednesday.

Gao's five-year-old son, Andrew Xue, was detained by Chinese authorities for 26 days

Allen and other lawmakers plan to introduce legislation next week that would grant citizenship to Gao.

Chinese born Gao and her husband, Xue Donghua, are permanent U.S. residents. They had completed all but the final step toward citizenship when they were detained, along with their 5-year-old son, at Beijing airport last month during a family trip.

"We finished everything but the swearing-in ceremony," Xue said.

Xue will be sworn in as a citizen during a special ceremony on Friday.

Husband rejects spying allegations

In an interview with CNN on Thursday, the scholar's husband, Xue Donghua, again rejected spying allegations levelled at his wife . He said he believed his wife had been detained because her research focuses on the Taiwan issue.

"That is a very, very sensitive issue in China," he said.

"All my wife's research and publications are academic, and she is a scholar and professor. She has nothing to do with spying or foreign intelligence, agencies or that kind of thing."

"Please, please release my wife and let my son have his mother back," he said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday alleged that Gao, 40, had confessed to spying.

Sun Yuxi, a ministry spokesman, said the government found evidence that Gao "accepted missions from overseas intelligence agencies and took funds for spying activities."

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said there was no substance to the accusations.

"We continue to urge the Chinese government to release Ms. Gao immediately to be re-united with her family in the United States," he said Wednesday.

She, her husband, and their 5-year-old son, Andrew, were detained on February 11 in Beijing; each was taken away in separate cars. The father and boy, who is an American citizen, were reunited and released 26 days later.

Gao remains held in an undisclosed location.

Andrew's detention prompted U.S. diplomats to formally protest China's failure to inform the American Embassy of its custody of an American citizen, as required by treaty.

Xue Donghua told CNN counselors were monitoring his son who "is doing fine now" and is already back at school.

"It's very hard to tell him the truth because he is only five he doesn't know what happened. I can only tell him that his mother is still in China and will be back home soon," he said.

He said wanted the U.S. government be more involved.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

U.S. pressure China over scholar

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