Chinese authorities formally charged Li Shaomin GS '88 with espionage Tuesday for allegedly spying on behalf of Taiwan, according to a U.S. State Department official.
Li is a naturalized U.S. citizen who received a Ph.D. in sociology from the University in 1988. Currently a professor of marketing at the City University of Hong Kong, he was detained by the Chinese Ministry of State Security on Feb. 25 near the city of Shenzhen.
The State Department is "very concerned" about the charges brought against Li, the official said. "We will press for him to be accorded due process and for his case to be brought to a full and speedy conclusion," he added.
Consulate officials have visited Li twice since his detention. Their last visit was on April 30, and they expect to meet with him again in the next two weeks, according to the official.
On Wednesday, a consulate officer delivered a package for Li to the Ministry of State Security containing clothing, books and letters.
"We have raised our concerns with the Chinese on a number of occasions in Washington and in Beijing and will continue to do so," the U.S. official said.
The University is involved in efforts to focus attention on Li's detention. Administrators have been in contact with members of Congress who have ties to Princeton and with embassy officials in Beijing, according to University Vice President for Public Affairs Robert Durkee '69.
The University's main goal is to focus attention on Li's detention and to encourage Chinese and American officials to help Li, Durkee said.
"We have been trying to support the broader efforts to get resolution in this case," he said.
University President Harold Shapiro sent a letter to Chinese President Jiang Zemin on April 18 expressing his "deep concern" for Li, but has not received a reply, Durkee said.
"There have been efforts in Beijing [to ensure] that the concerns in the letter be presented to senior officials," Durkee noted.
U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) has also taken an active role in addressing Li's detention, who lived in the 12th district Holt now represents.
Holt has spoken directly with Chinese Ambassador Yang Jiechi about Li's case and with Li's wife Liu Yingli, according to Peter Yeager, Holt's press secretary. He is also working with the State Department on this issue.
"It's a very active and important issue that we're working on," Yeager said.
A number of other members of Congress have been briefed about Li's detention, including Sens. Jon Corzine (D-NJ), William Frist '74 (R-TN), Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) and Paul Sarbanes '54 (D-Maryland), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The campus chapter of Amnesty International has also campaigned on Li's behalf. The group has sent a petition with over 250 signatures to Ambassador Yang. It is also working with some of Li's former colleagues on ongoing efforts including an online petition, according to Amnesty International member Katherine Jordan '03.
"I think the most important thing is to let people know that it is an important issue and one that we care about," she said.
Under Chinese criminal procedure law, espionage charges carry penalties ranging from a three-year prison sentence to life imprisonment and can include the confiscation of property.
The State Department notes that the Chinese government may consider travel to Taiwan or involvement with Taiwanese media organizations the equivalent of espionage.
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