China retaliates by arresting Americans
ByBill Gertz- – Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Two Americans are being detained inChinain apparent retaliation for the arrest of Chinese official in New York on visa fraud charges.
“We are aware of the detention of two U.S. citizens in Jiangsu,Chinaand the charges being brought against them by the provincial government,” said a person familiar with the matter. “We take seriously our responsibility to assist U.S. citizens abroad and are monitoring the situation.”
The Americans were identified by people close to the matter as Jacob Harlan and Alyssa Peterson, who were arrested last month and charged with illegally moving people across borders. They are being held at a detention facility in Jiangsu Province, near Shanghai.
Mr. Harlan is the founder of China Horizons, a group that arranges for Americans to teach English inChina, and Ms. Peterson is assistant director of the group.
A U.S. official said the timing of the arrests coincided with the arrest of a Chinese official in New York on visa fraud charges. The detentions in Jiangsu appear to be a Cold War-style hostage-taking, the official said.
The China Horizon website says Mr. Harlan has taught English inChinasince 2002, and noted that Ms. Peterson has spent the past eight years in and out ofChina.Chinahas used detentions of foreign nationals in the past in response to arrests of Chinese officials overseas.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/oct/16/china-retaliates-arresting-americans/
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