China confirms the 2022 conviction of a British businessperson on espionage charges

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing has confirmed that a longtime British businessperson in China was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 on an espionage charge. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Friday that Ian J. Stones had been convicted of being bought off to provide intelligence to “external forces.” He did not provide any specific details about the charges. The case was not publicly known until reported Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. Both the United Kingdom and United States governments have warned about the risk of detention under China’s national security laws. A new version of the law has heightened concerns about operating in China.