In recent times, multiple Chinese students have had their visas revoked and were deported upon attempting to enter the United States. The image is for illustrative purposes. (Lin Dan / Dajiyuan)
People News: Chinese student Wu Xiaolei, who was sentenced to nine months in the United States for harassing and threatening pro-democracy activists, has had his sentence reduced and returned to China. Sources indicate this is part of a US-China prisoner exchange in September, which led to the release and return of American pastor David Lin, who had been imprisoned by the Chinese government for 18 years.
On Thursday (31st), Voice of America reported that U.S. Department of Justice documents confirm that President Biden signed a pardon order on September 12, reducing Wu Xiaolei’s nine-month sentence to time served, stating that not fully serving his sentence was in the “national interest” of the United States. The document shows Wu Xiaolei began serving his sentence on June 7, with a total sentence time of just over three months. The conditions for his release include that Wu will not re-enter U.S. territory or territories after leaving and must not commit any offenses or engage in actions violating U.S. law.
According to Radio Free Asia, a document from the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts on September 16 also indicates that Wu Xiaolei has been released and returned to China.
Wu Xiaolei’s Early Release Tied to US-China Prisoner Swap
On Wednesday (30th), the U.S. political news website Politico cited three sources confirming that American pastor David Lin, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in China, was released and returned to the United States on September 15 as part of a US-China prisoner exchange.
The report mentioned that the U.S. State Department did not publicly disclose the identity of the Chinese citizen exchanged and declined to answer questions on how Lin’s release was negotiated. This contrasts sharply with the highly publicized U.S.-Russia prisoner exchanges in recent years. The report also noted that this swap might mark the first instance in modern history of the U.S. exchanging a Chinese citizen with Beijing to secure the release of an American citizen.
The U.S. State Department, the White House, and the Chinese embassy in Washington all declined to comment on the agreement.
The report speculated that the secrecy surrounding the exchange is unclear but aligns with the Chinese government’s usual practice of confidentiality and strict information control in diplomatic matters. The U.S. has also been actively seeking the release of Texas businessman Mark Swidan and businessman Kai Li, who was detained in China for procuring aerospace equipment. The U.S. maintains that these men were wrongfully detained, while the Chinese government claims the cases were handled according to the law.
Classmates and Friends Report Receiving Threatening Messages from Wu Xiaolei
Former Berklee College of Music Chinese student Wu Xiaolei (Xiaolei Wu) was sentenced to nine months in prison in Boston in April this year for threatening and harassing fellow Chinese students who supported democracy. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and later deportation.
Prosecutors stated that 26-year-old Wu Xiaolei threatened to cut off the hands of the pro-democracy activist known as “Zooey” (a pseudonym), reported her family to Chinese authorities, asked others to locate her residence, and publicized her email address.
Two friends of Zooey told Voice of America that Zooey had learned from prosecutors in September that Wu Xiaolei was released and that “Pastor Lin had been reciprocally exchanged from China.” The friends said Zooey was shocked and confused by this information and worried about her personal safety.
One of the friends, “William” (a pseudonym), said he recently received a threatening comment from Wu Xiaolei on Instagram, saying, “Do you really think that by wearing a mask and changing your voice on Voice of America, I won’t find you?”
Another friend, “Alex” (a pseudonym), noted that Wu Xiaolei recently posted a video on his WeChat account showing him playing guitar, with the location tagged as Beijing.
Wu Xiaolei’s Sentence Acts as a Deterrent for Nationalistic Supporters
Former Tiananmen student leader and co-founder of Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo, told Voice of America that although Wu Xiaolei’s escape was “too easy,” his sentencing still had a deterrent effect.
He said, “This case is already a very significant example. Since then, we have clearly felt that nationalist supporters in American campuses have become much more restrained. This year, I’ve held events at many universities in the U.S. and haven’t encountered any disturbances from these supporters.”
Zhou Fengsuo also suggested that if Wu Xiaolei’s release was indeed part of an exchange for David Lin, it might indicate that Wu has a certain background in China. He added, “Pastor David Lin had been detained in China for a very long time, and securing his release was quite valuable. In that sense, this is beneficial.”
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