National Press Club Urges China to Overturn Espionage Conviction of Journalist Dong Yuyu

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- National Press Club President Mike Balsamo today called on Chinese authorities to overturn the conviction of journalist Dong Yuyu, whose appeal could be heard as soon as April in Beijing.

Dong, a respected journalist and longtime editorial writer at Guangming Daily, was sentenced to three years in prison for espionage in February after decades of engaging in routine professional meetings with foreign diplomats. His family recently learned that a court hearing may be scheduled as part of his appeal — a rare development in China's legal system, where most criminal appeals are resolved without public proceedings.

"China still has one last chance to correct a grave injustice," Balsamo said. "Letting this conviction stand would send a dangerous message: that honest dialogue and international engagement are now considered crimes."

According to Chinese law, a hearing on appeal indicates that facts and evidence are in dispute, and that a reduced sentence or full acquittal is possible.

In a newly disclosed letter to Dong's family, Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi formally disputed China's claims that the Japanese diplomats Dong met with were intelligence agents. The ambassador wrote that none of the diplomats referenced in Dong's verdict were involved in espionage, and that the Japanese foreign ministry departments cited in the verdict have no intelligence functions under Japanese law.

"The Ministry of State Security offered no evidence — and the trial court never asked for any," Balsamo said. "No credible system of justice operates that way."

Notably, China has not expelled any of the eight Japanese diplomats it identified in Dong's case — including the former Japanese ambassador to China and the current chief diplomat in Shanghai.

Dong's attorneys — including renowned rights lawyers Mo Shaoping, Shang Baojun, and now Zhang Dongshuo — argued at trial that the Ministry of State Security provided no evidence that Dong received any material benefit. The court accepted the espionage charge without scrutiny. The lawyers will continue arguing for Dong's innocence.

The National Press Club has repeatedly warned that upholding Dong's conviction could have significant consequences for foreign journalists, scholars, and diplomats in China, many of whom routinely engage in the kind of international dialogue now being criminalized.

"If this verdict is allowed to stand, it will set a dangerous precedent — not just for journalists, but for anyone who believes in diplomacy, openness, and the rule of law," Balsamo said.

The National Press Club urges:

• The Beijing High Court to overturn Dong's conviction and reject unsupported claims made by the Ministry of State Security.
• The Japanese government to publicly clarify the wrongful designation of its diplomats in this case.
• The U.S. government to continue its support and advocacy for Dong and his family.

Dong has been in detention since February 2022. His final appeal may represent the last chance to avoid further harm to his health, his family, and China's international credibility.

For background and family statements, visit:

https://www.press.org/newsroom/family-statement-verdict-case-chinese-journalist-dong-yuyu

https://www.press.org/newsroom/follow-family-statement-verdict-case-chinese-journalist-dong-yuyu

Contact: Bill McCarren, Director of the Press Freedom Center, [email protected] 

SOURCE National Press Club