Alleged spy detained at Gongbei border

Chinese authorities have confirmed that they are investigating an American businesswoman who is suspected of threatening China’s national security, corroborating earlier media reports that Phan Phan-Gillis of Houston had been detained when trying to enter Macau.
According to her family, Phan-Gillis is the head of the Houston Shenzhen Sister City Association. She 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. She has been held by Chinese authorities for about six months.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said yesterday that Beijing is handling the case of Phan-Gillis according to China’s laws, and confirmed that the woman is in a healthy condition.
Phan-Gillis is a Vietnamese-American of Chinese descent. As reported by Reuters, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that Phan-Gillis was suspected of “endangering China’s national security” and is being investigated by “relevant Chinese authorities.”
The Houston Chronicle reported on Monday that the woman was in a trade delegation to China when she was stopped on her way to Macau.
Her husband, Jeff Gillis, told the Chronicle that he has decided to publicize her six-month detention just as Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the U.S. this week, in the hopes of pressuring Beijing and Washington to secure her release.
According to a statement, cited by Reuters, Jeff Gillis described his wife as “a hard-working businesswoman who spends huge amounts of time on non-profit activities that benefit Houston-China relations.” “Sandy is not a spy or a thief,” he added.