I'm still learning more about this - and I have no idea about international law (at least on this) - but let's say it together - this is messed the MF up.
An American geologist held by Chinese state security agents who stubbed lit cigarettes on his arms was sentenced to eight years in prison Monday for gathering data on China's oil industry – a case that highlights the government's use of vague secrets laws to restrict business information.If the U.S. - and his company IHS - lets Xue Feng rot in a Chinese jail for eight years - that tells me all I need to know.
In pronouncing Xue Feng guilty of spying and collecting state secrets, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court said his actions "endangered our country's national security."
Its verdict said Xue received documents on geological conditions of onshore oil wells and a database that gave the coordinates of more than 30,000 oil and gas wells belonging to China National Petroleum Corporation and listed subsidiary PetroChina Ltd. That information, it said, was sold to IHS Energy, the U.S. consultancy Xue worked for and now known as IHS Inc.
