China confirmed on Friday (26/1) that a court had sentenced a British citizen to five years in prison in 2022 on spying charges. The comments were their first official statement on a case that went unreported until this week.
A Beijing court in 2022 “sentenced the first British defendant… to five years in prison for the crime of illegally obtaining intelligence for overseas actors,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
After filing an appeal, he added, the case was upheld in September.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the Ian Stones case on Thursday. Citing his family and other sources, the daily said the British businessman disappeared in 2018 after decades of working in China.
When asked about the report on Friday, Wang, referring to the Stones by their Chinese names, said “the court adjudicated the case strictly according to the law.”
Beijing, he said, “fully guarantees the detainee's legal rights” and has arranged for British officials to visit him and attend his trial. “China is a country ruled based on the rule of law,” Wang said.
“Judicial organs strictly encourage the handling of cases in accordance with the law, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and foreigners,” he added. (lt/ab)