The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that authorities in China have arrested and are currently investigating a U.S. businesswoman who they've accused of stealing state secrets. This statement gives credence to earlier reports from the media and supporters who all stated that Phan Phan-Gillis (who uses the first name Sandy) of Houston had been detained for six months after she was arrested in March while traveling in the country, according to the AFP.
Phan-Gillis, 55, works for the trade delegation Houston Shenzhen Sister City Association and consulted for Chinese and U.S. businesses. When she was detained, she was travelling with Ed Gonzalez, who led the trade delegation for Houston's mayor, the mayor's Chief of Staff Jerry Peruchini, Houston businessman Vincent Chau and Chinese businessman Gary Ge.
Gonzalez, during an interview with the BBC, noted that "there was nothing out of the ordinary" about the trip, but described the events that occurred as they left China "bizarre."
The group had been travelling in China for a week before they went through immigration control at the border between Guandong and Macau March 19. That's when the incident took place, with the majority of the group meeting on the other side while Phan-Gillis remained behind, according to the Houston Chronicle.
At first, a message sent from her phone to the rest of the group read: "I'm going to stay behind, to take care of personal matters." And, since Phan-Gillis is of Chinese descent and had been to China "hundreds of times," the group thought little of it.
The group didn't learn what happened until a few days later, after they returned to Houston, when Phan-Gillis' husband, Jeff Gillis, told them he was informed by the U.S. consulate that his wife was detained, accused of spying and stealing state secrets.
Her family has vigorously denied those accusations, which they say has never been properly explained.
Since her March 20 arrest, representatives from American consular offices visited her six times in the southern city of Nanning where she is being held by the Chinese Ministry of State Security.
Her husband has decided to publicize Phan-Gillis' detention as Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the U.S. this week in hopes of pressuring Washington and Beijing to secure her release.
