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 Sandy Phan-Gillis, from Texas, has been held by Chinese
authorities for about six months, according to a statement from her
family that was released online this week. The statement said she is
suspected of spying and stealing state secrets.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Phan-Gillis was
suspected of "endangering China's national security" and is being
investigated by "relevant Chinese authorities".
China has permitted her at least 6 consular visits as of
mid-September, and she is in a good state of health and is
cooperating with the investigation, Hong told a news briefing.
The Ministry of State Security could not be reached for comment.
"Sandy is not a spy or a thief," her husband Jeff Gillis said,
according to the statement. "She is a hard working businesswoman who
spends huge amounts of time on non-profit activities that benefit
Houston-China relations."
 Phan-Gillis, who has Chinese ancestry and served as the head of the
Houston Shenzhen Sister City Association, visited China on a trade
delegation with business people and city officials from Houston,
Texas, and was detained while attempting to cross from the southern
city of Zhuhai to Macau on March 19, according to the family
statement.
Phan-Gillis's husband did not immediately respond to telephone
messages or e-mail. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing referred questions
to the U.S. State Department's consular affairs office, which did
not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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China's state secrets law is notoriously broad, covering everything
from industry data to the exact birth dates of state leaders.
Information can also be labeled a state secret retroactively.
Phan-Gillis is being held in the southwestern city of Nanning, the
statement says. Up until Sept. 19, she had been held under house
arrest.
Over the weekend she was transferred to a detention center, the
statement added. It's unclear whether any formal charges have been
brought. A lawyer working on her case could not be immediately
reached.
"Sandy is in very poor health," the statement said, adding that she
suffers from high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood
sugar. She has been hospitalized repeatedly while in detention, it
said.
While U.S. consular officials have been able to meet with
Phan-Gillis, she has not been able to contact family and friends,
the statement added.
(Reporting By Megha Rajagopalan; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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