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US engineer detained in China for spying to be tried Monday
China will try an American power industry consultant on spying and bribery charges Monday, his legal adviser said. The trial comes after a meeting between US President George W Bush and Chinese leader Jiang Zemin apparently failed to win Fong Fuming`s release.
Fong's family had hoped China would set him free as a goodwill gesture around the time of the Bush-Jiang meeting, which came on Friday on the sidelines of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shanghai.
Bush reportedly raised US concerns over human rights during the talks, but there was no word on whether any individual cases were discussed. On Saturday, Jerome Cohen, a New York lawyer who is advising the Fong family, confirmed the trial date. Family members claim Fong, 66, is innocent and have been meeting with US State Department officials .
China says it indicted Fong September 14 in Beijing. It has accused him of illegally obtaining 43 secret government documents from a state power official and paying $ 245,000
in bribes. The incidents cited allegedly occurred between 1995 and 1996 while Fong was working for a Hong Kong firm.
The US State Department has complained about the length of Fong's detention, which it puts at 19 months, calling that a violation of international standards. US diplomats in Beijing have discussed the case with Chinese officials in hopes of speeding a resolution.
Bureau Report