Dissident warns Bush of Chinese spying

Washington, Aug.4 : A Chinese democracy activist has alerted President George W. Bush of the possibility of Chinese spies infiltrating into the U.S., even as the world gears up for the Olympics in Beijing.

Harry Wu, director of the Laogai Research Foundation, a Washington group that monitors Chinese human rights abuses and the political prison system in China, was quoted by the Washington Times as saying that he raised the issue of Chinese intelligence agents at a meeting in the White House last Tuesday.

Mr. Bush will make a brief statement in China in support of human rights and religious freedom after attending an officially sanctioned Chinese church service, said Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman.

Johndroe also confirmed that Wu raised the issue of Chinese intelligence gathering during the meeting involving four other democracy activists.

Several of the activists gave the president lists of Chinese political and religious prisoners of conscience who are being held by Chinese authorities. Their hope is that the president will press Beijing to release the prisoners.

Chinese spying activities appear to have increased sharply in recent years. At least 16 China-related spying and illegal technology transfer cases have been uncovered since 2005.

Among them is a case involving Pentagon weapons analyst Gregg Bergersen, who pleaded guilty in March to disclosing defense secrets, and a California family spy ring headed by Chi Mak, a defense contractor convicted of supplying embargoed defense technology to China.

Others who took part in the meeting with the president were former Red Guard turned anti-communist Wei Jingsheng, ethnic Uighur rights activist Rebiya Kadeer, religious freedom advocate Bob Fu and long-time democracy advocate Sasha Gong.

ANI