Chinese accuse journo of spying

2005-05-31 13:22

Beijing - China on Tuesday said a foreign journalist detained last month had admitted to spying for "foreign intelligence services."

The foreign ministry said, Hong Kong resident Ching Chong, 55, a senior journalist for Singapore's Straits Times, was arrested on April 22.

The statement said: "Ching already admitted that in recent years he engaged in intelligence gathering activities on the mainland on instructions from foreign intelligence agencies and accepted large payments for spying."

Ching's wife reportedly said he was charged with trying to obtain "state secrets" related to former Communist Party leader, Zhao Ziyang.

In a statement on Monday, the newspaper said Ching had said on April 28 that he was "helping the Chinese authorities with an investigation ... into a matter that is not related to the Straits Times."

Pro-democracy protesters

Ching's wife Mary Lau told Hong Kong Cable Television that he was arrested in Guangzhou on April 22 as he met a contact who had agreed to provide documents relating to Zhao Ziyang.

Zhao was purged from the party in 1989, when he was accused of sympathising with pro-democracy protesters. He died in January after spending the last 15 years of his life under house arrest.

The newspaper said Chinese officials refused to allow representatives of its holding company to visit the journalist.

The statement said: "We are awaiting word from the Chinese authorities on what charges he is facing, how long he would be held for the purpose of helping investigations, or when he would be released."

It said Ching, its chief China correspondent, had served the newspaper "with distinction."

The paper said: "We have no cause to doubt that throughout his stint of reporting and commenting on China, he has conducted himself with the utmost professionalism."

- SAPA