Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

China: Convicted Scholars Returning to United States

Aired July 26, 2001 - 07:16   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: Two scholars are making their way back to the United States. Qin Guangguang is a pharmacist and published author. The other, Gao Zhan, is a professor at American University in Washington. Both were sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of spying for Taiwan and then suddenly deported.

Right now, we are joined by Gao Zhan's attorney, Jerome Cohen. He is standing by in New York awaiting her return.

Good morning, Mr. Cohen.

JEROME COHEN, GAO ZHAN'S ATTORNEY: Good morning, Carol.

LIN: Mr. Cohen, can you tell us, was there any sort of concrete tit for tat -- some sort of deal made in order for her to be released before Colin Powell arrives in Beijing on Saturday?

COHEN: I don't think there has to be a deal made, but there is an effort to improve U.S.-China relations, and this is an important part of it. These cases are among the most important confronting the U.S. and China. They are irritants. They have to be out of the way if the secretary is going to have positive, cooperative discussions in Beijing on Saturday about President Bush's trip.

But we have other cases that are not yet resolved, and the secretary is going to be pushing for action on those cases as well.

LIN: I want to get to those cases in a moment, but I'd like to focus on Gao Zhan's case in particular right now. Her husband we spoke to a couple of days ago, and he has not had any contact, as I understand, with his wife. Does he know how she is doing? Because she is suffering from some heart problems.

COHEN: Yes, we have only had discussions between her and our Chinese counsel on two occasions. We have also had a very brief report of a quick medical exam she received before getting on the plane this morning. She is going to have to have her health conditions seriously examined when she gets to Washington, but basically she seems to be in reasonably good shape.

LIN: Were there any conditions imposed upon her -- any deals directly made between Gao Zhan and the Chinese government before her release? COHEN: Well, the Chinese government always likes to try to impose conditions on people just prior to their release. They did that with Mr. Xue, her husband. They try to get you to promise that you won't reveal anything of how badly they have treated you when you get out, but of course, once people get home they are free to do as they wish. Those promises aren't worth anything. They are obviously given under great coercion.

LIN: She still has family in China. Is she going to be allowed to return to China? And if, for example, she does break any of these rules that the Chinese government may have spoken to her about, how likely is it that her family members might have to pay a price?

COHEN: Well, the Chinese government has been quite good about that. They don't seem to retaliate against family members. They do permit people who have had difficulty with their criminal justice system later to return to China if they have some assurance that they are not to engage in similar conduct.

LIN: In the meantime, you still have, I think, at least two clients remaining in China waiting for their trials or their release. What is their status?

COHEN: Well, the most urgent is the case of Mr. Liu Yaping, who is held in an Inner Mongolian jail. He has been held virtually incommunicado. He has a serious brain hemorrhage. It's an aneurysm in an artery leading to the brain. He could die any day. And yet they have repeatedly turned down our applications for his release for medical treatment. And we are hoping that Secretary Powell will be able to get the attention of the central government so that it will investigate the bad behavior of the Inner Mongolian government in this case.

LIN: Well, if there is a strategy on the Chinese officials' part in terms of when they release people, how they release people, why are they -- why not, you know, take advantage of all of the good publicity of Powell's visit to Beijing this Saturday and release everybody? What sort of cards do the Chinese have? What sort of cards do the Americans have then?

COHEN: Well, these cases are all quite different. They involve different agencies of the Chinese government. They involve the state security agency, China's KGB. They involve the regular police, the public security. They involve regional authorities.

They also involve Chinese sensitivity to foreign interference in the administration of justice. And from the Chinese internal political point of view, it would be impossible, especially as different leaders are striving for promotion next year and the year after in the party and government to be seen to be abjectly yielding in a publicly embarrassing way to American demands.

LIN: So what hope do you have then that your clients are going to, you know, experience the same sort of good fortune that Li Shaomin and now Gao Zhan have experienced of being able to come home? COHEN: I think once the highest Chinese Central Government leaders know about Mr. Liu Yaping's case. They are decent, civilized people. They will take steps to stop it. The frustrating thing is how long it takes to ring the imperial gong in Beijing and get their attention.

LIN: Well, time is a matter of perception. And certainly in China, the Chinese have shown that they can be very patient indeed. So what sort of timetable are you talking about?

COHEN: Well, this man's health is at stake. His life is at stake. We have to get him out in the next week or two.

LIN: And in the meantime, when is -- when are you going to be able to see Gao Zhan and hear her story?

COHEN: Gao Zhan will arrive at 10:00 this morning in Detroit. She will arrive about 3:30 at Dulles Airport in Washington. There will be a 4:00 reception for her. And I want to give her some time to rest. But you can rest assured I am eager to talk to her.

LIN: You bet. And I am sure her family is very eager to see her again.

COHEN: Yes.

LIN: Thank you very much, Jerome Cohen, for joining us this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.