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Xue Feng (Chinese: 薛峰; pinyin: Xuē Fēng; born February 6, 1965), is a Chinese American geologist who worked for IHS Inc. when he was arrested by the Beijing State Security Bureau during a business trip to China. He was subsequently tortured, charged with espionage, and sentenced to 8 years in prison. On April 3, 2015, he was released from the Beijing No.2 Prison and immediately deported to the U.S.

Early life and education

Xue Feng was born on February 6, 1965, near the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi province in China. While pursuing a geology degree at Xi'an's Northwest University in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he acted as an interpreter and guide for visiting geologists. One geologist that he met, David Rowley, invited him to do his PhD at the University of Chicago.

While at the University of Chicago, Xue Feng worked on ultra-high-pressure metamorphism, a transformation that can be seen in rocks that have been to depths of 70 km or more. He graduated with a doctoral degree in geology. He worked as the Northeast Asia manager for IHS Inc.

Xue has a wife, Nan Kang, and two children.

Arrest

On November 20, 2007, Xue Feng was arrested by the BSSB and charged with "exporting intelligence" for purchasing a commercially available database of Chinese oil wells. Residing in Houston, Texas, Xue was on a business trip for IHS, Inc at the time of his arrest. Following his arrest, human rights activist John Kamm told the Associated Press that the BSSB had ignored the deadlines for notification and visits required by Chinese law and its consular agreement with the U.S., and had not provided US consular officials his whereabouts for more than three weeks following his arrest. Upon finally receiving access to US consular officials, Xue revealed he had been tortured, displaying cigarette burn marks on his arms. After taking office in 2009, President Obama pressed for Xue's release in meetings with Chinese officials, to no avail. Later appeals, attended personally by U.S. ambassador Jon Huntsman, were unsuccessful. During Hu Jintao's state visit to Washington, D.C., members of Congress confronted Hu about Xue. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, at the time chairwoman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, and Kevin Brady, who represented Xue's Houston district, separately pushed letters into Hu's hands urging Xue's release. After 8 years in the Beijing No.2 prison, he was released and deported to the U.S. on April 3, 2015.

Publications

• Xue, Feng; Rowley, David B.; Baker, Judy (1996). "Refolded syn-ultrahigh-pressure thrust sheets in the south Dabie complex, China: Field evidence and tectonic implications". Geology. 24 (5): 455–458. Bibcode:1996Geo....24..455X. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<0455:RSUPTS>2.3.CO;2.
• Rowley, D.B.; Xue, F.; Tucker, R.D.; Peng, Z.X.; Baker, J.; Davis, A. (1997). "Ages of ultrahigh pressure metamorphism and protolith orthogneisses from the eastern Dabie Shan: U/Pb zircon geochronology". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 151 (3–4): 191–203. Bibcode:1997E&PSL.151..191R. doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(97)81848-1.
• Baker, Judy; Matthews, Alan; Mattey, D.; Rowley, D.; Xue, F. (1997). "Fluid-rock interactions during ultra-high pressure metamorphism, Dabie Shan, China". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 61 (8): 1685–1696. Bibcode:1997GeCoA..61.1685B. doi:10.1016/S0016-7037(97)00005-7.

See also

• Stern Hu

References

1. ^ Areddy, James T. (1 December 2010). "China's Culture of Secrecy Brands Research as Spying". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
2. "US geologist released by China: group". Taipei Times. Agence France Presse. 5 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
3. ^ Hutzler, Charles (5 September 2010). "Xue Feng, U.S. Geologist, Gets 8-Year Sentence, Was Tortured In China". Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
4. ^ "Jailed US geologist loses court appeal in China". The Guardian. Associated Press. 2011-02-18. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
5. "The long and obscure arm of the law". The Economist. 5 Jul 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
6. ^ Hornby, Lucy (2009-11-20). "U.S. seeks release of geologist in China secrets case". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
7. "U.S. geologist held secretly in China". The Washington Times. Associated Press. November 20, 2009. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
8. Charles Hutzler (19 Nov 2009). "Xue Feng, American Geologist, Held And Mistreated By China". Huffpost World. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
9. "US geologist Xue Feng 'released from prison in China'". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 2015-04-04. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-02.

Further reading

• Areddy, James T. (3 April 2015). "American Jailed in China Released, Arrives Home". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
• Jacobs, Andrew (18 February 2011). "China upholds conviction of American geologist". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
• Lee, John (7 July 2010). "The Uncurious Case Of Xue Feng's Jail Sentence". Retrieved 6 March 2013.
• Rowley, David (3 April 2015). "Xue Feng Family Press Release". Retrieved 4 April 2015.
• Wong, Edward (3 April 2015). "China Deports American Jailed on Spy Charges". NY Times. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
• "Beijing Court Sentences American Geologist to Eight Years for State Secrets". Virtual Academy. Congressional - Executive Commission on China. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
• "China jails US geologist for stealing state secrets". BBC News. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2013.

• Living people
• Espionage scandals and incidents
• University of Chicago alumni
• American torture victims
• Chinese emigrants to the United States
• Chinese prisoners and detainees
• Chinese torture victims
• American geologists
• 1965 births
• People from Xi'an
• Naturalized citizens of the United States
• Scientists from Shaanxi