US contacts China about US woman detained in spy probe

WASHINGTON

The U.S. has contacted their Chinese counterparts about the Chinese detention of an American businesswomen accused of spying, a White House official said Tuesday.

The news comes as China's President Xi Jinping begins a weeklong U.S. visit.

Sandy Phan-Gillis has been held by Chinese authorities since March under suspicions of espionage and theft of state secrets, according to an online statement released this week by her family.

The Texas woman with Chinese ancestry was detained while she was in southern China accompanying a delegation of officials and businesspeople from Houston.

Her husband said he released the statement in an attempt to pressure China to release his wife ahead of Xi’s visit.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that although U.S. officials have contacted China about the issue, many of their questions "have gone unanswered".

"This is something that the United States State Department has been working on for quite some time," Earnest said. "At this point, I certainly couldn’t rule out that it would come up in the conversation between the two leaders."

Although no specific details have been shared publicly about what the two leaders will discuss, cyberspace-related issues are expected to be explored by Xi and Obama.

Ahead of his arrival, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Phan-Gillis was suspected of "endangering China's national security" and is being investigated by "relevant Chinese authorities".

Xi’s. visit will include meetings with business leaders.