A Chinese journalist, Dong Yuyu, has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for espionage, his family reports.

Dong, a former deputy head of the editorial department at the state-owned Guangming Daily and contributor to the Chinese edition of the New York Times, was apprehended in February 2022 during a meeting with a Japanese diplomat at a restaurant. He has remained in custody since.

The court verdict identified former Japanese Ambassador Hideo Tarumi and Shanghai-based chief diplomat Masaru Okada as members of an espionage ring, according to Dong’s family.

Dong’s journalistic career spanned decades, during which he built relationships with foreign diplomats and academics. He openly supported constitutional democracy and political reform in his writings, views at odds with the Chinese Communist Party’s stance.

His family stated that he was aware of constant surveillance and chose transparency in his interactions with foreign contacts, including those from Japan and the United States. He considered Tarumi a friend.

“Yuyu’s conviction sets a precedent where interactions with foreign embassies and diplomats risk being construed as espionage by the Chinese government,” the family’s statement declared. “This reasoning should alarm all Chinese citizens.”

U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, condemned the sentencing.

“Punishing Dong for exercising his freedom of speech and press, rights guaranteed under the PRC constitution, is unjust,” Burns stated.