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CNN Live At Daybreak
Gao Zhan's Husband Discusses the Fate of Chinese Scholar
Aired July 05, 2001 - 08:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: An update now on the fate of a Chinese scholar who was arrested in Beijing's airport last February in front of her husband and son. Gao Zhan, a permanent resident of the United States, is accused of being a spy for Taiwan. Despite complaints by Congress and the Bush administration, she still remains in a Chinese prison. Well, this morning there are mixed reports in the media about what may happen next to her.
Her husband, Xue Donghua joins us this morning.
Good morning, Mr. Xue.
XUE DONGHUA, HUSBAND OF GAO ZHAN: Good morning.
LIN: What is the status of your wife's case?
XUE: So far we don't have anything officially from China. All we have is the news from the Western reporters in Beijing -- that indication that she might be released -- she might be tried and convicted and released.
LIN: And how reliable are journalistic reports like this out of Mainland China? Are you really putting much stock in them?
XUE: Well, that's -- we hope. Actually, it's not been confirmed, but according to the reporter that -- this news comes from a relatively reliable source.
LIN: All right, Mr. Xue, I just want to let you know that CNN did speak with the Foreign Ministry, which says that this matter is under investigation. Do you hear anything from them directly?
XUE: No. So far, we don't have any -- we didn't hear anything from the Chinese officials in the embassy and in Beijing.
LIN: In other words, they're not saying that there's going to be a trial. They're not saying that they're going to pursue these charges. And they're not even sure if they're even considering releasing her. So when you do get these Western media reports out of Mainland China, what goes through your mind? How do you sort fact from fiction?
XUE: Well, the first thing, when I got this news, I contacted the U.S. State Department and wanted them to confirm from here in Washington. And then I called my law firm in Beijing who represents Gao Zhan and wanted them to confirm the news from Beijing. And so far, we don't have anything -- we don't have any response.
LIN: Now, the last time we spoke to you, a congressman was -- actually, a couple of congressmen were trying to get you and your wife declared U.S. citizens -- her, obviously, in absentia. And that was supposed to help your case and give you more leverage with the Mainland Chinese government. Did that ever happen?
XUE: Well, actually, I'm already a U.S. citizen. And yes, there are several congressmen and senators. They already introduced legislations to make her a U.S. citizen. Yes, that will definitely help her case.
LIN: How much cooperation are you getting right now from the Bush administration in this matter?
XUE: Well, I got a lot of help from the U.S. Congress and senators. The State Department is very, very helpful. And the White House, I -- you know, publicly, President Bush mentioned the case a couple of times. But we need him to be clearly -- speak out to get those scholars released.
LIN: Do you think that -- your wife is, what, one of five scholars now being held in China? Is that right?
XUE: That's right.
LIN: Do you feel that your wife's life is in jeopardy at this point?
XUE: Since we lost contact with her since February, we don't have anything -- we don't have any information about her health, about her psychological status. So that's the thing that worried me most about -- that's her health because the Chinese Foreign Ministry keeps saying that she's confessed, which troubles me most because, according to the Chinese history and some other cases, that whenever they say someone confessed, which means behind the scenes, there's some -- might be some tortures or a forced confession. So that's the trouble.
LIN: Mr. Xue, what can you do at this point? And how are you explaining this to your son Andrew?
XUE: It's very hard to explain to him. I can only tell him, as always, that we're working very hard to get Mom home pretty soon. All I can do here is still keep working with the U.S. government to try my best.
LIN: Xue Donghua, thanks for joining us this morning. We'll be following this case as well as the other cases closely.
XUE: Thank you.
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