According to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), UK businessman Ian J. Stones, who vanished suddenly in 2018, has been convicted of espionage and is currently detained by the Chinese government. Stones had spent a significant portion of his career in China before his abrupt disappearance.
In a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin confirmed the reports, stating that Stones had been convicted of the offense of “buying and unlawfully supplying intelligence for an organization or an individual outside China.” Stones was sentenced to a 5-year term in August 2022 by the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court. Wenbin stressed that the trial was conducted in strict accordance with Chinese law and all of Stones’ procedural rights were upheld.
The 70-year-old Stones had earlier held positions at General Motors and Pfizer before launching his own investment consulting firm around 15 years ago. Despite the Chinese government’s statement about upholding procedural rights, Stones’ daughter argues that the family was barred from the trial and were not allowed to review any legal documents related to the case.
The arrest and conviction of Stones have further highlighted the potential issues foreign businesses may face operating in China. This is backed by British travel guidance which warns of the “broad scope” of “national security” within Chinese legislation, leading to “arbitrary detention, including of British nationals.” Notably, in 2023, China introduced several amendments to its Counter-Espionage Law, which has received considerable international critique since its introduction.
There have been many similar cases over the last decade involving the detainment and conviction of foreign nationals in China on charges of espionage, such as the detainment of 17 Japanese citizens since 2014, Australian journalist Cheng Lei, and US citizen John Shing-wan Leung, who were all accused of espionage by the Chinese government.