Exclusive | Beijing willing to step in to aid Wang Xiyue, Chinese-American scholar imprisoned in Iran, his wife says
- Move by the Chinese government could be a goodwill gesture to Washington in the midst of efforts to end the trade war
- Wang, who was in Iran for research on his PhD thesis, was found guilty in 2017 of attempting to ‘infiltrate’ the country at the behest of Princeton University
Beijing has offered to assist the United States in the case of a Chinese-American scholar serving a 10-year prison sentence in Iran, according to his wife, who has been briefed on the situation by US State Department officials.
Wang Xiyue, a naturalised US citizen originally from China, is approaching his 1,000th day behind bars in Tehran after a closed-door trial found him guilty in 2017 of attempting to “infiltrate” Iran at the behest of Princeton University, where he was pursuing a PhD in history.
Chinese diplomats in Tehran have met with Swiss officials – who represent US interests in Iran – at least once and are planning additional conversations about the case in the near future, Wang’s wife, Qu Hua, told the South China Morning Post.
An official from the State Department, which has been in close contact with Qu throughout her husband’s ordeal, told her that the Chinese had “stressed their willingness to help”, she said.
“But I don’t know exactly how, or what action will be taken towards his freedom,” said Qu, 37.
The State Department said it could not comment on the case, but a spokesperson said the US government placed “the highest priority on the safety and well-being of Americans wrongfully detained overseas”.
