China expelled American academic Li Shaomin (李少民) yesterday following his conviction for espionage as Washington seethed over 10-year sentences for two other US-based scholars on spying charges.
Li was put on a plane to San Francisco as Beijing appeared to be trying to improve relations with the US by moving to resolve the cases ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Colin Powell on Saturday.
In Hanoi, Powell hinted strongly after talks with his Chinese counterpart yesterday that at least one further US-based scholar jailed in China would be released soon on humanitarian grounds.
"I am pleased that several of these cases are now on their way to resolution on humanitarian grounds and we will see that quite obviously in the next 24 or so hours," Powell told reporters.
He spoke after talks with Tang Jiaxuan (
"I'm glad to be getting home. I'm looking forward to being reunited with my family," Li, a management professor at City University in Hong Kong, told reporters during a stopover in Tokyo.
Li, an American citizen, was convicted of spying on July 14. The court did not impose a sentence and ordered he be expelled.
He was finally put aboard a flight home a day after a Beijing court convicted US permanent residents Gao Zhan (
Gao, accused of helping Li gather intelligence for Taiwan, was sentenced to 10 years' jail but not ordered expelled because she is a Chinese citizen. Both insisted they were innocent.
But Gao, whose lawyers say she has a heart problem, asked for medical parole after her conviction, a means China has used in the past to expel convicted dissidents.
In Hanoi, Powell did not specifically mention Gao would be released. But US officials have said Washington was seeking the release of the US permanent resident on humanitarian grounds.
It was not clear which of several other US-based scholars currently being detained by China could qualify for release on humanitarian grounds
Asked specifically if Gao was getting medical parole, Powell replied: "I will let the Chinese characterize her situation in the way they wish to characterize it."
It was unclear whether Qin had also applied for medical parole or if there were other reasons to expel him.
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