We, the undersigned, call on the Chinese authorities to release journalist Yuyu Dong, who has been in detention since February 21, 2022, the day after the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics. We believe Yuyu is being wrongfully accused of espionage, which can carry a sentence of more than a decade in prison. 

Yuyu was just months from retirement from his job as senior editor and columnist for the Guangming Daily, one of China’s major papers. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard and is well-known to many foreign journalists and scholars. He was also a visiting fellow to Keio University and Hokkaido University in Japan. He wrote articles for The New York Times Chinese website and for decades has been a prominent liberal, pro-reform voice from within the Chinese system.

Like many journalists around the world, Yuyu regularly met foreign diplomats, journalists, and academics. They exchanged frank and open views about China and the world situation. Such exchanges were a normal part of what the Chinese government supports as “people-to-people diplomacy.”

That’s why Yuyu’s detention and indictment came as a shock to many who know him. His meetings with friends—Chinese and foreign—were always open and transparent. They always planned openly via WeChat, which is unencrypted and subject to government surveillance, and met at public restaurants. In their open letter, Yuyu’s colleagues from the Nieman Fellowship regard him as “inquisitive, objective, and an excellent ambassador for China.”

To our knowledge, more than a year into Yuyu’s detention, the Chinese authorities have not been able to produce any concrete evidence for the charge of espionage. Although Yuyu worked at a Communist Party newspaper, he never was a Communist Party member and thus only had very limited access to what the Chinese authorities consider “secret.” Moreover, the Chinese authorities had allowed Yuyu’s regular interactions with foreigners to occur for over twenty years.

According to Chinese law, to prove the charge of espionage, the Chinese authorities must show that Yuyu is “an agent of an espionage organization.” Because Yuyu was detained while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat in an open setting and because his ties with foreign diplomats, journalists, and academics are being scrutinized by the Chinese authorities, the implication of the charge is that many institutions Yuyu had interacted with, including the Japanese embassy in Beijing, the U.S. embassy in Beijing, Harvard University, and several Japanese universities, are potentially on trial in China as “espionage organizations.”

When the news of Yuyu’s arrest came out on international media in late April, many Chinese nationalists attacked Yuyu on social media, saying that Yuyu’s fellowships from Harvard and Japan are sufficient evidence of espionage. Some even posted a list of Nieman Fellows from China and called on the Chinese government to investigate all of them for crimes.

Any prosecution of Chinese journalists and fellowship recipients based solely on their lawful foreign ties is against the rule of law. President Xi of China has spoken and written extensively about the significance of the rule of law in China’s future. Yuyu’s prolonged detention contradicts Mr. Xi’s vision.

As China’s leaders are encouraging contact between China and the world after years of pandemic isolation and as China attempts to attract foreign investment to help the Chinese economy, a conviction for Yuyu will send an irreversibly chilling message to China’s foreign partners and those within China who are eager to interact with the outside world. 

Meetings with foreign diplomats and journalists, as well as fellowships abroad, should not be construed as evidence of espionage. As Yuyu’s colleagues asked in their open letter, “Who would want to come to China to meet Chinese journalists, academics, or diplomats if these meetings could be used as evidence that the Chinese side is committing espionage?”

All of us value our interactions and friendships with the Chinese people. Therefore, we would like the Chinese authorities to reconsider the harsh charges that Yuyu faces and release Yuyu to his family.

 

Related news coverage and statements by journalism organizations:

Open Letter (published via The National Press Club): National Press Club Leadership Signs Open Letter on Chinese Journalist Yuyu Dong​

The New York Times: China Accuses a Liberal Columnist of Espionage ​

The Washington Post: Prominent Chinese journalist faces espionage charges, family says ​

The Wall Street Journal: China Accuses Newspaper Editor of Espionage After Meeting With Diplomat​

The Associated Press: Family: Chinese journalist faces espionage charges​

The Guardian: Chinese journalist arrested on charges of espionage​

The Washington Post (Editorial): A Chinese journalist is charged with espionage. But journalism is not spying.​

The Toronto Star (Editorial): World Press Freedom a day to reflect on the vital role of journalism​

The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University: China accuses respected journalist Dong Yuyu, a 2007 Nieman Fellow, of espionage​

The National Press Club: National Press Club Statement on Detention of Chinese Journalist Yuyu Dong​

PEN America (along with 56 PEN centers worldwide): STATEMENT SIGNED BY 57 PEN CENTERS WORLDWIDE CALLS FOR RELEASE OF CHINESE WRITER AND JOURNALIST DONG YUYU​

Committee to Protect Journalists: Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu held since February 2022, facing espionage charges​

Reporters Without Borders: China: RSF urges for release of prominent journalist accused of espionage