The city's intermediate court announced Leung's sentence today in a brief statement, but gave no details of the charges. The court also ordered the seizure of Leung's personal assets, worth 500,000 yuan (4,545,000 meticais).

The Suzhou Intermediate People's Court issued a statement saying that Leung was "found guilty of espionage, sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of political rights for the rest of his life".

The case has raised concerns about the Chinese legal system and its treatment of foreign citizens. Leung's family has stated that he is innocent and that the charges against him are politically motivated.

Trials of cases involving national security are held behind closed doors and little or no information is made public.

Relations between Beijing and Washington have deteriorated rapidly in recent years, due to a trade and technology war, as well as disputes over human rights issues, the status of Hong Kong and Taiwan or the sovereignty of the South China Sea.

The sentence comes at a time when US President Joe Biden is traveling to Hiroshima, Japan, to take part in the G7 summit, after having visited Papua New Guinea. China has been seeking to increase its military, diplomatic and economic influence in that Pacific island nation.

The Suzhou court did not indicate any link between the verdict and tensions between China and the US, and evidence supporting espionage charges is not disclosed. This is standard practice among most countries, which wish to protect their networks and access to information.

China amended its Counterespionage Law in April to include the crime of "collaboration with spy agencies and their agents". (RTP/BNN Network)