The American citizen was sentenced to eight years for allegedly violating state secret laws . The US ambassador to China has called for his release on humanitarian parole . He was working in China as a geologist for a Colorado - based mining firm .
The American citizen was sentenced to eight years for allegedly violating state secret laws . The U.S. ambassador to China has called for his release on humanitarian parole . Xue was working in China as a geologist for a Colorado-based consulting firm .