Ching Cheong, 55, the paper's Hong Kong-based chief China correspondent, was arrested in the southern city of Guangzhou in April although China waited until May to announce he was being held on espionage charges.

His arrest had been approved by a Beijing court and he was being prosecuted on the charges, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"In early 2000, Ching was recruited by the National Security Bureau of the Taiwan authorities," the report alleged.

He set up "a number of channels for espionage" in Hong Kong and mainland China under the instructions of Taiwan intelligence between early 2000 and March 2005, it said.

He also obtained "a great deal of information" on China's political, economic and particularly military affairs, some of which was classified as "top secret" or "confidential", and passed them onto Taiwan.

"The Taiwan intelligence had on different occasions given several million Hong Kong dollars (hundreds of thousands of US dollars) to Ching for his espionage activities," the Xinhua report alleged.

It repeated the Chinese foreign ministry's statement in May that Ching had confessed to the accusation.

His wife Mary Lau could not be reached Friday but expressed her dismay to the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

"She feels shocked about the accusations and finds it difficult to believe," said Mak Yin-ting of the group's press freedom sub-committee.

Lau has said she believed Ching's arrest was connected to his attempts to acquire a manuscript about the late Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang written by one of Zhao's close friends.

Zhao was purged after opposing the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

Well-known for his patriotic stance, Ching left his job with the Beijing-backed Wen Wei Po newspaper in 1989 in disgust at the Tiananmen Square massacre.

The British embassy in Beijing said requests for consular access to Ching had been denied, even though he is the holder of a British National (Overseas) passport and should enjoy the same protection as other British citizens.

In a terse statement, the Hong Kong government said it was keeping in contact with Ching's family and mainland authorities, but stopped short of making any stronger commitments.

His employer, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), said in a statement it was seeking access to Ching and legal representation for him.

Hong Kong newspapers have speculated that Ching could be expelled from China if convicted rather than being jailed.

His detention has caused international condemnation. About 500,000 journalists from more than 100 countries last month signed a petition calling on China to treat him fairly.

Commenting on Ching's case in June, China warned overseas journalists against "violating laws and regulations" while reporting, saying they too would be prosecuted if they did.

Rights groups said Ching's arrest was Beijing's way of warning journalists about challenging its iron-fist rule.

According to a tally by press watchdog Reporters Without Borders, there are 31 journalists presently in Chinese prisons, while 64 Internet users have also been jailed for posting their views on the web.

                                                      Home