Deportation of Phan ‘Sandy’ Phan-Gillis, who was arrested on a business trip and accused of espionage, comes at a time of warming China-US relations

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

An American woman who was arrested on a business trip in China and later convicted of spying has been deported to the US.

Jeff Gillis said his wife, Phan “Sandy” Phan-Gillis, got on a flight to Los Angeles from the southern city of Guangzhou on Friday evening. The couple planned to stay in LA a few days to visit relatives before returning to their Houston home, he said.

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Phan-Gillis, a US citizen of Chinese descent, had faced an uncertain fate since March 2015, when she disappeared from a group traveling in southern China when about to leave the mainland for the Chinese-ruled, former Portuguese colony of Macau. She was later accused of espionage.

On Tuesday, after being held without trial for two years, Phan-Gillis was sentenced by Chinese authorities to three years in prison. The sentence was seen as an indication that she soon could be allowed to return home.

Her lawyer told Reuters on Tuesday he could not reveal details of the case because it involved “state secrets”.

Jeff Gillis, said China had accused Phan-Gillis of visiting the country twice on spy missions in 1996 and working with the FBI to capture two Chinese spies in the US and turn them into double agents.

The deportation comes at a time of warming China-US relations after Donald Trump met the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in Florida in early April.

In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Trump called Xi a “good man” and praised him for his efforts to press North Korea to give up its development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

An official of the US state department said it was aware of the deportation.

“The United States welcomes her home,” said the official, who did not want to be identified by name.

Negotiations to secure the release of Phan-Gillis intensified when the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, visited Beijing in March, according to the San Francisco-based Dui Hua Foundation.

“Sandy is overjoyed to be reunited with friends and family, and sends out her thanks to the many people who worked tirelessly for her release,” Gillis said.