Mystery surrounds the detainment of U.S. citizen John Shing-Wan Leung, 78, of Hong Kong, who was sentenced Monday in China to life behind bars on what appears to be an allegation of spying.
This comes more than two years after he was detained by authorities in the Chinese city of Suzhou.
Because the trial was held behind closed doors, very few details are known about the case.
Leung was arrested by a local bureau of China's counterintelligence agency, said a news release from the court and obtained by the BBC, then "found guilty of espionage, sentenced to life imprisonment [and] deprived of political rights for life."
A spokesperson for the US embassy in Beijing said they were aware of the reports, but gave no indication of further action.
"The Department of State has no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas," they said.
CBS News reported the situation "is likely to further damage relations with Washington, which are already severely strained over issues such as trade, human rights and Taiwan, adding:
"Washington and Beijing have just ended an unofficial pause in high-level contacts over the United States' shooting down in February of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon."
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