China Court Convicts Hong Kong Reporter

HONG KONG – A Hong Kong reporter was convicted of spying for Taiwan Thursday and sentenced to five years in prison in mainland China, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Ching Cheong, a correspondent for Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper, has been detained since April 2005. State media have reported he confessed to selling military secrets to Taiwan and setting up a spy network, but his supporters say he’s innocent.

People who answered the phone at the firm of Ching’s lawyer, He Peihua, wouldn’t give any information.

The lawyer told Hong Kong Cable TV, “I need to respect the family’s wishes. They don’t want me to reveal the decision.”

Employees who answered the phone at the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court refused to release the verdict.