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THE IMPRISONMENT OF DR XU ZERONG (DAVID TSUI), FORMER STUDENT OF ST ANTONY'S COLLEGE


Dr Xu Zerong (David Tsui), a former student of St Antony's College (1989-99) has been imprisoned in China. He was detained in June 2000, and in a verdict handed down in early 2002 he was sentenced to thirteen years' imprisonment. Members of the College have been very concerned about the case on several grounds, especially the severity of the sentence.


LATEST NEWS

The College is very pleased to learn that former student Dr David Tsui (Xu Zerong) received a further sentence reduction of 10 months in April 2008. The College will continue to maintain its benevolent interest in the welfare of Dr Tsui.



Further information:

Please direct further enquiries to the Press Office at St Antony's College, telephone +44 (0)1865 274497

BACKGROUND INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CASE
OF DR XU ZERONG - (anglicised name, Dr David Tsui)

Born: 14 January 1954

First degree:
Bachelor of Law, Fudan University, Shanghai (1982)

Degrees completed at Oxford:
M.Phil International Relations (1991)
M.Phil thesis title: "China's Decision to Enter the Korean War: Motivations and Objectives"
D.Phil International Relations (1999)
D. Phil thesis title: "Chinese Military Intervention in the Korean War".

College affiliation: St Antony's College, Oxford.

Citizenship: Chinese, native of Sichuan province, and permanent resident of Hong Kong

Academic Positions held at time of arrest:
Associate Research Professor at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Zhongshan University in Guangzhou and Affiliated Professor of the Provincial Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences (from 1999).

Dr Xu's detention and trial:
Dr Xu was first detained on 24 June 2000 and has been held in custody since that date. The trial was in Shenzhen City Intermediate People's Court, in Guangdong Province. According to information obtained from several sources, the indictment against him was first presented to a court by the People's Procuratorate of Shenzhen City on 16 July 2001. The Court case appears to have been completed on 10 January 2002. He was sentenced to thirteen years' imprisonment, which means from 24 June 2000, being the date of his original detention, to 23 June 2013.

College Action following Dr Xu's arrest:
St Antony's College first heard in April 2001 about Dr Xu's arrest in China. The news came out at the same time as publicity was being given to the arrest of various Chinese scholars with American citizenship or residency. A group at Oxford, including the Warden of St Antony's, teachers and examiners, promptly wrote to the Chinese Ambassador in London expressing concern about his long arrest without charge or trial, and requesting information about his current circumstances. In a reply in May, the Ambassador stated that Dr Xu had been detained for investigation on 24 June 2000 and had been arrested on 25 July 2000, and provided some rather general information about the charges laid against him.

On 23 May 2001, the Warden of St Antony's wrote again to the Ambassador requesting that one of the signatories to the original letter from Oxford - preferably one of Dr Xu's former teachers - be allowed to visit him. This request was repeated on 10 July 2001. As there were no replies to these letters, the Warden sought a meeting with the Ambassador and this was held on 10 January 2002. The Warden reminded the Ambassador of our continuing wish to visit Dr Xu, but was informed that Chinese law did not permit such contact. Press reports of Dr Xu's trial and sentencing reached the College in early February and a press statement was released on 5 February outlining the facts of the case at that time. On 11 February the Ambassador, in reply to a letter written by the Warden, provided some information about the charges and sentences that had been imposed on Dr Xu. (See press release of 19 February 2002 for further details).

After news of the trial and sentencing emerged, many people around the world proposed that an open letter be sent to the Chinese President, Jiang Zemin, and that signatures should be obtained from academics, journalists, public servants and business people from different countries who have specialized on China or worked with Chinese colleagues. Such a letter was promptly drafted (see item 4 on the website) and was sent, with its list of signatories, to the Ambassador and released to the media on 19 February 2002. The letter appealed to President Jiang to look into Dr Xu's case, and to bring about his early release. It also urged the Chinese government to affirm its commitment to academic freedom and human rights. The letter, and the press release issued on the same day, helped in obtaining publicity for Dr Xu's plight and stimulated a number of Antonians, as well as others, to take action in support of Dr Xu.

Subsequent correspondence between the Warden and the Chinese Ambassador confirmed that the open letter had indeed been passed to the Beijing authorities. The Warden also reaffirmed in this correspondence the College's continuing concern with the welfare of Dr Xu. The case has been brought to the attention of various governments and international bodies: many of these have raised it with the Chinese authorities and are continuing to do so.

In addition to concern over the severity of the sentence, there are concerns, based on persuasive evidence, that a long-standing medical condition has been aggravated during Dr Xu's time in detention.

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NINE MONTH REDUCTION IN THE SENTENCE (September 2006)

A Chinese court in Guangzhou has approved a nine-month sentence reduction for Xu Zerong. For further information read

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UPDATE ON THE TRIAL AND SENTENCING OF DR XU ZERONG (May 2002)

The College has received further information from various sources relating to the case of Dr Xu. This new information indicates that the main charge against Dr Xu was that he obtained four books on the Korean War, which he then had photocopied and microfilmed. Dr Xu is said to have sent these books to the Director of an institute in South Korea that specializes in international relations, and he is alleged to have received US$2,500 in payment. The Security Committee of the People's Liberation Army, Guangzhou Military Region, was asked to provide an opinion on the classification level of these materials and this Committee concluded that these works -- dating from the early 1950s -- should be regarded as top secret. The Court concluded that Dr Xu's actions "severely endangered China's national security and national interest", which led the Court to mete out a sentence of 10 years, with deprivation of political rights for three years.

The information also indicates that Dr Xu, who had a publishing business in Hong Kong, was additionally accused and found guilty of having engaged in the illegal publication of periodicals and books on the Chinese mainland from December 1993 to March 2000. For this activity, he received a sentence of 5 years, and a fine of RMB50,000 (about 4000 pounds sterling).

The overall duration of imprisonment was specified as 13 years (i.e. to 23 June 2013). This takes into account the period of time in which Dr Xu had already been in detention.

Dr Xu and his family have lodged an appeal. The College will continue to voice its concern about the severity of the punishment meted out by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court as well as about other aspects of this case.

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PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ST ANTONY'S COLLEGE (19 February 2002)

In response to the considerable anxiety raised by the case of Dr Xu Zerong, an open letter has been addressed to President Jiang Zemin. Some 340 academics, public servants, business people, and journalists from around the world who have specialized on China or worked with Chinese colleagues have signed this letter so far. It has been delivered today, February 19th, to the Chinese Ambassador to London, His Excellency, Mr Ma Zhengang, with a request that it be forwarded to President Jiang.

The concern about the case relates particularly to the length of time that Dr Xu was held in detention before trial, his isolation during incarceration, the severity of the sentence imposed on him, and the issues of academic freedom involved.

Dr Xu Zerong, a student of St Antony's College from 1989 to 1999, and a respected specialist on China's foreign relations, was sentenced by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in southern China on January 10th 2002 to 13 years in prison. In a letter dated February 11th, Ambassador Ma informed Sir Marrack Goulding, the Warden of St Antony's College where Dr Xu took his Oxford degrees, that two official charges had been levied against him. The first was that in 1992 he obtained confidential government documents, made photocopies of them, and gave them to sources outside China, thereby endangering China's security. For this, he had received a sentence of ten years. The second charge had related to the "illegal publication of more than 60,000 books and periodicals" since 1993, and the sale of book authorization numbers from which it was alleged that he had derived a total profit of approximately £28,000 (RMB 330,000). For this activity he had been given a further three years. He had also been fined about £4,000 (RMB 50,000).

The prison sentences described by Ambassador Ma are extremely harsh and have aroused great concern amongst the wider international community of scholars and others working on China. Subsequent press reports of the trial published in Hong Kong and by western news services have indicated that the documents obtained by Dr Xu were those he used for purposes of academic research, including his scholarly publications. If Dr Xu's use of historical data was indeed the main basis for finding him guilty of leaking state secrets, this would amount to violation both of a scholar's right to receive and impart information regardless of frontiers and of the right to freedom of research and creative activity.

St Antony's College learnt only in April 2001 that Dr Xu had been in detention since June 2000. Its Warden took the matter up with the Chinese Ambassador, but in all their subsequent contacts reference was made only to Dr Xu's allegedly illegal publishing activities. It was not until Ambassador Ma's letter of February 11th 2002 that the College received an account of all the charges he faced, including the more serious one for which he has been sentenced to ten years in prison.

The severity of the sentences and the length of time in which Dr Xu has been in custody - for much and probably all of that period without visitors or correspondence - have prompted the decision to address an open letter to President Jiang. In that letter, a world-wide group of scholars and others interested in China have requested that China's President look into the case of Dr Xu and bring about his early release. He is also urged to affirm his government's commitment to promoting and protecting academic freedom and human rights in China and thus providing a secure basis for the continuation of scholarly exchanges between China and other countries.

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OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN

His Excellency Mr Jiang Zemin
President of the People's Republic of China
Beijing
China

19 February 2002

Dear Mr President,

We the undersigned are academics, journalists, public servants and business people from different countries who have specialised on China or worked with Chinese colleagues. We are writing to you about the recent sentencing of Dr Xu Zerong to 13 years in prison, a sentence of such severity that it has caused us grave concern.

Dr Xu is a respected scholar of Chinese foreign relations who, at the time of his detention on 24th June 2000, worked at Zhongshan University and the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences. He is also a graduate of St Antony's College, University of Oxford, where he earned a doctoral degree in 1999.

According to information that we have received, at a trial held in Shenzhen in January 2002 he was sentenced to three years in respect of charges of economic crimes and ten years on charges of leaking state secrets. It appears that the first set of charges related to the allegedly illegal publication of books and periodicals and the sale of book authorization numbers since 1993, and the second set of charges, for which Dr Xu was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment, related to his use of information gathered in the course of his research into the Korean War (1950-1953), including Chinese analysis of American and South Korean capabilities, and documents explaining the Chinese People's Volunteers' involvement in that conflict.

If Dr Xu's use of historical data was indeed the main basis for finding him guilty of leaking state secrets, this would amount to violation of a scholar's right to receive and impart information regardless of frontiers and of the right to freedom of research and creative activity. These rights are guaranteed in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Many of the signatories of this letter are academics who regularly engage in research into governmental decision-making. We cannot accept that analysis of the military policies of any country half a century ago constitutes the leaking of state secrets, and we seek assurance that those working on such topics in relation to China can continue their work without fear of legal or other form of retribution.

We are also deeply concerned about the conditions under which Dr Xu has been held since June 2000. During the eighteen months before he was brought to trial, he was apparently allowed no visitors or correspondence. Requests that one of his Oxford teachers be given permission to visit him were denied. The information available to us thus raises the questions of whether Dr Xu's human rights have been respected and whether his detention and trial have been in conformity with those human rights covenants that China has signed or ratified.

We accordingly urge you, Mr President, to look into the case of Dr Xu and to bring about his early release. We also urge your government to affirm its commitment to promoting and protecting academic freedom and human rights in China and thus provide a secure basis for the continuation of scholarly exchanges between your country and those to which we belong.

Yours faithfully,

(The signatories of this letter represent only themselves. No endorsement by their affiliated institution or employer is implied.)

Sir Marrack Goulding, KCMG,Warden of St Antony's College, University of Oxford
Professor Rosemary Foot, FBA, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
(Xu's doctoral thesis supervisor)
Dr Steve Tsang, Reader ∓ Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK (Internal examiner)
Professor Michael Yahuda, London School of Economics, London, UK (External examiner)
Student body of St Antony's College University of Oxford, UK

The rest of the signatories are arranged in alphabetical order

A
Professor Wendy Adamek, Chinese Religions, Barnard College, Columbia University, USA
Professor Roger Adelson, History, Arizona State University, USA
Professor Richard J Aldrich, Politics, University of Nottingham, UK
Professor William Alford, Harvard University Law School, USA
Dr Raad Alkadiri, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Dr Mark Alleyne, Institute of Communications Research, University of Illinois, (Urbana-Champaign) USA
Alan Angell, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor David E Apter, Henry J. Heinz II Professor, Yale University, USA Dr Judith Armstrong, Professorial Associate, University of Melbourne, Australia

B
Peter Baehr, Politics & Sociology, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China
Professor Shaul Bakhash, Clarence Robinson Professor of History, George Mason University, USA
Professor Geremie R Barme, Pacific & Asian History, Australian National University, Australia
Professor Robert Barnes, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Omer Bartov, John P. Birkelund Distinguished Professor of European History, Brown University, USA
Professor Richard Baum, Political Science, University of California, USA
Dr Jonathan Becker, Dean of International Studies, Bard College, USA
Gregory A Bedard, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, USA
Professor Jean-Philippe Béja, Director of Research, Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CNRS-CERI), France
Professor Daniel Bell, Public & Social Administration, City University of Hong Kong
Professor Robert Benewick, Politics, University of Sussex, UK
Paul Benton, California, USA
Dr Geoffrey Bertram, Economics, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Professor Leslie Bethell, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Christopher Bishop, History, Yale University, USA
Professor Michel Bonnin, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, France
Dr Jane Boulden, Senior Associate Member, St Antony's College, Oxford, UK
Dr Anne-Marie Brady, Political Science, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Professor Archie Brown, FBA, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Nicholas Bunnin, Institute for Chinese Studies, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Ian Buruma, Writer, London, UK
Dr Andreas Busch, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK

C
Dr William A Callahan, Politics, University of Durham, UK
Professor Enrique Cardenas, St Antony's College, University of Oxford and Professor of Economics, Universidad de las Americas-Puebla, Mexico Dr Peter Carey, Laithwaite Fellow, Trinity College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Christine Cerna, Law, George Washington University, USA
Dr Anita Chan, Australian National University, Australia
Professor Johannes Chan, Law, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Professor Joseph Man Chan, School of Journalism ∓ Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Professor Kenneth Ka-Lok Chan, Government & International Relations, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Professor Chien-min Chao, Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Professor Houchang E Chehabi, International Relations & History, Boston University, USA
Professor Albert H.Y. Chen, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, China
Dr Chen Xiaonong, Editor, Modern China, USA
Professor Joseph Y.S. Cheng, China Research Centre, City University of Hong Kong, China
Professor Anthony Cheung, City University of Hong Kong, China
Dr Peter T.Y. Cheung, Politics & Public Administration, University of Hong Kong, China
Professor James Clad, Southeast Asian Studies, Georgetown University, USA
Professor Donald Clarke, School of Law, University of Washington, USA
Professor Gerald A. Cohen, FBA Chichele Professor of Social & Political Theory, Fellow of All Soul's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Jerome A. Cohen, Law School, New York University, USA
Professor Paul A. Cohen, Fairbank Center for East Asian Research, Harvard University, USA
Professor Warren I. Cohen, History, University of Maryland and Senior Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington DC, USA
Professor Alison W. Conner, School of Law, University of Hawaii, USA
Dr Bradley J. Cook, Vice President, Utah Valley State College, USA
Professor Gene Cooper, Anthropology, University of Southern California, USA
Professor Jennifer Corbett, Japan Research Centre, Australian National University, Australia ∓ Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor James Cotton, School of Politics, Australian Defence Force Academy, Australia
Dr Audrey K. Cronin, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, USA
Professor Richard Cullen, Business Law, Monash University, Australia
Professor Bruce Cumings, History, University of Chicago, USA
Dr Peter Cunich, History, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Professor Michael Curtin, Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin, USA

D
Lord Dahrendorf, KBE, FBA, House of Lords, London, UK
Kimberley Daniels, Arlington, Virginia, USA
Professor Michael Davis, Government & Public Administration, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Malcolm Deas, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr H.W. de Burgh, Media & Communications, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK
Dr Anne Deighton, Wolfson College, University of Oxford, UK
Roger V. Des Forges, History, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA
Professor David Dewitt, York University, Toronto, Canada
Dr Michael Dillon, East Asian & Chinese Studies, Durham University, UK
Dr X.L. Ding, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong
Professor Audrey Donnithorne, Asian Studies, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Dr Marion E. Doro, Lucy Marsh Haskell Professor Emerita of Government, Connecticut College, USA
Professor Glen Dudbridge, FBA, Institute for Chinese Studies, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Helen Dunstan, Chinese Studies, University of Sydney, Australia
Professor Marta Dyczok, History & Political Science, University of Western Ontario, Canada

E
Dr Heather Ecker, Society of Fellows in Humanities, Columbia University, USA
Dr Richard Louis Edmonds, Geography, King's College, University of London, UK, and Editor, The China Quarterly
Dr Penny Edwards, Cross-Cultural Research, Australian National University, Australia
Professor J. Mark D. Elvin FAHA History, Australian National University, Australia & Emeritus Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford, UK
Professor Ken Endo, Emile Noel Fellow, Harvard University Law School, USA
Professor George Enteen, History, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Professor Joseph W. Esherick, History, University of California at San Diego, USA
Professor Paul Evans, Asian Research, University of British Columbia, Canada

F
Dr David Faure, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Stephan Feuchtwang,Anthropology, London School of Economics, UK
Professor Taciana Fisac, Chinese Studies, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain
Chi-wah Fong, General Education Centre, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Dr Dominique Fournier, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Montreal, Canada
Dr Elizabeth Frazer, Official Fellow & Tutor in Politics, New College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Ed Friedman, Politics, University of Wisconsin, USA
Professor Murray Fromson, School of Journalism, University of Southern California, USA
Nerisa Chan Siu Fung, Government & International Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

G
Professor John L. Gaddis, Robert A Lovett Prof Military & Naval History and Political Science, Yale University, USA
Dr Gao, Zhan, Research Fellow, American University, USA
Timothy Garton Ash, CMG, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Robert Gascoigne, Australian Catholic University, Australia
Roy Giles, CBE, Cody Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Graeme Gill, University of Sydney, Australia
Richard Glofcheski, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, China
Professor Thomas B. Gold, University of California at Berkeley, USA
Professor Merle Goldman, Fairbank Center for East Asian Research, Harvard University, USA
Professor Steven M. Goldstein, Sophia Smith Professor of Government, Smith College, USA
Professor David S.G. Goodman, International Studies, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Dr Roger Goodman, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK Dr Nandini Gooptu, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Carol Graham, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, USA
Dr Penelope Graham, Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University, Australia
Jaime Granados, Washington DC, USA
Dr Gerry Groot, Asian Studies, University of Adelaide, Australia
Dr Shreekant Gupta, Reader in Economics, University of Delhi, India & Visiting Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

H
Professor Elizabeth Haigh, History, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Professor Tulio Halperin-Donghi Muriel McKevitt Sonne Professor of History Emeritus, University of California, USA
Antoinette Handley, Politics, Princeton University, USA
Professor Takemichi Hara, Japanese Studies, University of Hong Kong, China
Professor Stevan Harrell, Anthropology, University of Washington, USA
Dr Gary Hart, United States Senator (retired), USA
Professor Milan Hauner, History, University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA Nancy Hearst, Librarian, Fairbank Center for East Asian Research, Harvard University, USA
Professor Anthony J. Hedley, Chair Professor in Community Medicine, University of Hong Kong
Professor Susan Henders, Political Science, York University, Canada
Professor Eugenia Herbert, History, Mount Holyoke College, USA
Professor Emily M. Hill, History, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Dr Anke Hoeffler, Economics, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Christopher Howe MBE FBA School of Oriental ∓ African Studies, University of London, UK
Dr Christopher R. Hughes, Director, Asia Research Centre, London School of Economics, UK
Dr Victoria Tin-bor Hui, International Security & Cooperation, Stanford University, USA
Duncan Hunter, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Dr Andrew Hurrell, International Studies & Nuffield College, University of Oxford, UK
Graham Hutchings, Oxford Analytica, Oxford, UK

I
Professor G. John Ikenberry, Peter F. Krogh Professor of Geopolitics and Global Justice, Georgetown University, USA
Dr Anita Inder Singh, Senior Associate, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Takashi Inoguchi, Professor of Political Science, University of Tokyo, Japan

J
Colin Jeffcott, Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University, Australia
Dr Harlan W. Jencks, Chinese Studies, University of California at Berkeley, USA
Kathleen Jennings, Research Associate, Council on Foreign Relations, USA
Gudni Johannesson, History, Queen Mary College, University of London, UK
Professor Stephen Jones, Russian & Eurasian Studies, Holyoke College, USA
Laura Ann Jones, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
William Josephson, General Counsel of the Peace Corp, 1961-66, New York, USA
Dr Barrie E. Juniper, Emeritus Reader in Plant Science, University of Oxford, UK

K
Professor Miles Kahler, University of California at San Diego, USA
Dr David Kahn, Great Neck, New York, USA
Zhenguo Kang, Senior Lecturer of Chinese, Yale University, USA
Professor Michael Kaser, Emeritus, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Amarjit Kaur, Economics, University of New England, Australia
Professor Edmund Keeley, Emeritus, Princeton University, USA
Professor Paul Kennedy, J. Richardson Dilworth Professor of History, Yale University, USA
Dr Celia Kerslake, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor William C. Kirby, Asia Centre, Harvard University, USA
Dr Menachem Klein, Senior Associate Member, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK; Bar Ilan University and the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, Israel.
Professor Alan Knight, FBA, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Harold Hongju Koh, Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law, Yale University Law School, USA. United States Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 1998-2001
Dr Elisabeth Köll, Modern Chinese History, Case Western Reserve University, USA
Dr Masamichi Komuro, History of Economic Thought, Keio University, Japan
Dr Emilio Kouri, History, University of Chicago, USA
Dr Christiane Kraus, Washington DC, USA
Professor Hsin-chi Kuan, Government & Public Administration, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

L
Dr Habib Ladjevardi, Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University, USA
Professor Andre Laliberte, Political Science, University of Ottawa, Canada
Professor Ching Kwan Lee, Sociology, University of Michigan, USA
Dr Eliza W.Y. Lee, Government & Public Administration, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Dr Derek Leebaert, Dept of Government, Georgetown University, USA
Dr Carol S. Leonard, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Linda Chelan Li, Public & Social Administration, City University of Hong Kong
Professor Shaomin Li, City University, Hong Kong, China
Dr Paul Lim, Senior Research Fellow, European Institute for Asian Studies, Brussels, Belgium
Professor E. Perry Link, East Asian Studies, Princeton University, USA
Amy Liu, City University of Hong Kong, China
Professor Liu, Ching-chih, Asian Studies, University of Hong Kong
Professor Wm. Roger Louis, University of Texas at Austin, USA
Professor Stanley Lubman, School of Law, University of California at Berkeley, USA
Professor Daniel C. Lynch, International Relations, University of Southern California, USA

M
Anthony McAdam, Executive Director, Australian-American Association, Australia, ∓ Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
Dr Tommy M. McClellan, Scottish Centre for Chinese Studies, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Professor Gavan McCormack, Australian National University, Australia
Dr Barrett L. McCormick, Political Science, Marquette University, USA
Kevin McCready, Translator, New South Wales, Australia
Professor Melvin Mabey, Emeritus, Brigham Young University, USA
Robert Mabro CBE, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Fiona Macaulay, Research Fellow, Brazilian Studies, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Roderick MacFarquhar Leroy B. Williams Professor of History ∓ Political Science, Harvard University, USA
Professor S. Neil MacFarlane, Lester B. Pearson Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Richard Madsen, Sociology & China Studies, University of California, USA
Dr Juan Maiguashca Guevara, History, York University, Canada
Hoi Wah Mak, Assistant Professor, Applied Social Studies, City University Of Hong Kong, China
Professor Gordon Martel, History, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada
Helene Chung Martin, Honorary Research Fellow, Monash Asia Institute, Australia
Dr Tim Mau, Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Guelph University, Canada
Dr Sonia Mazey, Politics & International Relations, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Kenneth Menzies, Sociology & Anthropology, Guelph University, Canada
Professor Martha Merritt, Government, University of Notre Dame, USA
Dr Carmelo Mesa-Lago, Professor and Research Scholar on International Relations, Florida International University, USA
Dr Jamie Metzl, Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA
Dr Roberta Balstad Miller, Senior Research Scientist and Director, Center for International Earth Science Network, Columbia University, USA
Dr Jonathan Mirsky, I.F. Stone Fellow, Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Masaaki Mitsunaga, Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, Japan
Dr Rana Mitter, Institute for Chinese Studies, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Bernard Mommer, St Antony's College and Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, University of Oxford, UK
Paul M. Monk, Senior Fellow, Austhink, Melbourne, and Honorary Research Fellow, Asian Studies, La Trobe University, Australia
Paul Mooney, Newsweek, Jianguomenwai Diplomatic Compound, Beijing, China
Professor F.C. Tim Moore, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Hong Kong, China
Dr John H. Moore, President, Grove City College, USA
Professor Barrie M. Morrison, Asian Research, University of British Columbia, Canada
Dr Eiichi Motono, Political Science & Economics, Waseda University, Japan
Dr Jan-Werner Mueller, All Soul's College, University of Oxford, UK
Robin Munro, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK
Dr Timo Myllyntaus, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK, and University of Helsinki, Finland

N
Denise Nadeau, San Francisco Theological Seminary, USA
Professor Ayami Nakatani, Faculty of Letters, Okayama University, Japan Professor Andrew J. Nathan, Columbia University,
Dr Laura J. Newby, St Hilda's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Gladys Nieto, Centro de Estudios de Asia Oriental, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain
Professor Takeshi Nishida, Faculty of Law, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
Nils Nordal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Dr Ka Po Ng, Associate Professor, International Cultural Studies, Aichi Bunkyo University, Japan
Dr Louis Nthenda, Chiba City, Japan

O
Yunley Oakley, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Jonathan Ocko, History, North Carolina State University, USA
Professor Stephen A. O'Connell, Economics, Swarthmore College, USA
Dr Tetsuo Ogawa, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Robert O'Neill, Chichele Professor of the History of War Emeritus, All Soul's College, University of Oxford, UK
Benjamin C. Ostrov, United College, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Professor Roger Owen, A.J. Meyer Professor, Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University, USA
Brendan Richard Ozawa-de-Silva, Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of Economic Culture, Boston University, USA
Dr Chikako Ozawa-de-Silva, Post-doctoral Fellow, Center for East Asian Studies, University of Chicago, USA

P
Professor James B. Palais, Emeritus, Korean History, University of Washington, USA
Dr Jeremy T. Paltiel, Political Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Professor Kristen Parris, Political Science, Western Washington University, USA
Dr Felix Patrikeeff, Politics, Adelaide University, Australia
Professor David Parkin, All Soul's College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Benjamin Penny, Humanities Research Centre, The Australian National University
Professor Elizabeth J. Perry, Government, Harvard University, USA
Professor Carole J. Petersen, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, China
Dr Frank Pieke, Institute for Chinese Studies, University of Oxford, UK
Kimberly Plikaitis, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Dr Jonathan D. Pollack, Strategic Research Dept, U.S. Naval War College, USA
Professor Judy Polumbaum, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Iowa, USA
Dr Alex Pravda, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Jessamine Price, History, New York University, USA
Professor M. Kathleen , Law, McGill University, Canada
Professor Louis Putterman, Economics, Brown University, USA

R
Nandini Ramnath, School of Law, Columbia University, USA
Dr Gary Rawnsley, Politics, University of Nottingham, UK
Dr Ming-Yeh Tsai Rawnsley, Asia-Pacific Studies, University of Nottingham, UK
Dr Mark Rebick, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Eliza Reid, Hampshire, UK
Professor Richard Rice, Asia Program, University of Tennessee/ Chattanooga, USA
Professor Graham Richards, Brasenose College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Shelley Rigger, Brown Associate Professor of Political Science, Davidson College, North Carolina, USA
Professor Adam Roberts, FBA, Balliol College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Priscilla Roberts, History, University of Hong Kong, China
Maureen Robertson, Asian ∓ Pacific Studies, University of Iowa, USA
Professor Donald Robinson, Charles N. Clark Professor, Smith College, USA
Dr Jennifer Robson, Penguin Books, Canada
Dr Eugene Rogan, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Arthur Rosenbaum, History, Claremont McKenna College, USA
Richard H. Rouse, History, University of California at Los Angeles, USA
Zbigniew Rurak, Rurak ∓ Associates, Inc. Washington DC, USA

S
Professor Kazuto Sakamoto, Law Faculty, Kokugakuin University, Tokyo, Japan
Dr Heike Schmidt, History, Emory University, USA
Professor Orville Schell, Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, USA
Professor David Schoenbaum, History, University of Iowa, USA
Professor Mark Selden, Sociology ∓ History, Binghampton University, USA
Dr Robert Service, FBA, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor James D. Seymour, East Asian Institute, Columbia University, USA
Dr James Sherr, International Relations, Lincoln College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Avi Shlaim, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor A. Joshua Sherman, Associate Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford ∓ Visiting Professor, Middlebury College, USA
Dr Zachary Shore, International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, USA
Dr Harold Shukman, Emeritus, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Mark Sidel, Law, University of Iowa, USA
Dr Wahegurupal Sidhu, Associate, International Peace Academy, USA
Professor Ming Sing, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Professor Elizabeth Sinn, Deputy Director, Asian Studies, University of Hong Kong
Professor David E. Skinner, History, Santa Clara University, USA
Professor Gavin Smith, Anthropology, University of Toronto, Canada
Dr Jonathan Snicker, Exeter College, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Dorothy J. Solinger, University of California, Irvine, USA
Dr Lina Song, China Studies, University of Nottingham, UK
Yongyi Song, Senior East Asian Librarian, Dickinson College, USA
Jeffrey Stacey, President's Fellow, Political Science, Columbia University, USA
Professor Arthur Stockwin, Nissan Institute, University of Oxford, UK
Professor David Strand, Political Science, Dickinson College, USA
Professor Atsushi Sugita, Political Theory, Hosei University, Japan
Dr Megumi Suto, Economics, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan
Professor Robert Sutter, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, USA
Professor Marvin Swartz, History, University of Massachusetts, USA
Dr Celia Szusterman, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK

T
Susan D. Tamondong, Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines
Professor James Tang, Politics and Public Administration, University of Hong Kong
Professor Bill Taylor, Public & Social Administration, City University of Hong Kong
Professor Majid Tehranian, Director, Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research, University of Hawaii, USA
Professor Frederick C. Teiwes, Government, University of Sydney, Australia
Lord Thomas of Gresford, House of Lords, London, UK
Rosemary Thorp, Acting Director, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford, UK
Carla Thorson, Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Dr Christopher Tremewan, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA, and University of Auckland, New Zealand
Jewel Tsai, Coastline Villa, Discovery Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Professor Kellee S. Tsai, Political Science, Johns Hopkins University, USA
Dr King K. Tsao, Government, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Professor Nancy Bernkopf Tucker, History, Georgetown University and the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, USA

U
Professor Hiroko Ueno, College of Humanities, Ibaraki University, Japan
Dr Fredrik Uggla, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK, and Dept of Government, Uppsala University, Sweden

V
Professor Milada A. Vachudova, Political Science, University of North Carolina, USA
Martina Vandenberg, Washington DC, USA
Professor Peter Van Ness, Contemporary China Centre, Australian National University
Professor Stephen Vlastos, History, University of Iowa, USA


Professor Alan M. Wachman, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, USA
Professor Rudolf G. Wagner, Chair, Chinese Studies, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Professor David Wall, Chinese Studies, School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London, UK
Christopher Ward, Washington DC, USA
Professor Alan Ware, Worcester College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Hao Wang, Coastline Villa, Discovery Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Dr David Washbrook, Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Claude Welch, Political Science, State University of New York, USA
Dr Jennifer M. Welsh, International Relations, Somerville College, University of Oxford
Professor Byron S.J. Weng, Public Policy & Administration, National Chi Nan University, Taiwan
Professor James White, Political Science, University of North Carolina, USA
Professor Lynn White III, Politics Department, Princeton University, USA
Professor Allen S. Whiting, Regents Professor Emeritus, University of Arizona, USA
Calla Wiemer, Consultant, Beijing, China
Allison Wilke, New York, USA
Dr Karin Wilkins, Radio-TV-Film, University of Texas at Austin, USA
Professor Marc Williams, Politics & International Relations, University of New South Wales, Australia
Professor Mary C. Wilson, History, University of Massachusetts, USA
Dr Helena Pik-wan Wong, General Education Centre, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Rita Wong, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Dr Ngaire Woods, Fellow in Politics, University College, University of Oxford
Guoguang Wu, Government & Public Administration, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Dr R.Neville Wylie, Politics, University of Nottingham, UK

X
Donghua Xue, EDS Corporation, USA

Y
Professor Dali L. Yang, International Relations, University of Chicago, USA
Dr Graham Young, School of Political & International Studies, University of New England, Australia

Z
Professor Jonathan Zatlin, History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Jeromin Zettelmeyer, Washington DC, USA
Dr Wei Zhang, Chinese Economy, Faculty of Oriental Studies & Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, UK
Liana Zhou, Indiana University, USA
Professor Zehao Zhou, York College, USA

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ARTICLE IN THE ST ANTONY'S COLLEGE NEWSLETTER (Hilary Term 2002)

XU ZERONG/DAVID CHAK WING TSUI - student at St Antony's from 1989-1999

Xu Zerong, known to College members by his anglicized name, David Tsui, was sentenced in January 2002 at a trial held in southern China to a swingeing 13 years in prison. The Chinese Ambassador has informed us of the official charges levied against him. Reports of the trial published in the Hong Kong press and elsewhere suggest that it was the books and journals that he published and his own writings that caused him to run foul of the authorities. We are now doing all in our power to appeal his sentence and to effect an early release. Among other actions, this has included press releases, media interviews and help with the drafting and circulation of an open letter to President Jiang Zemin which has attracted over 340 signatures.

David's personal biography until 1989 when he joined us at the College is in many ways the story of post-1949 China. His detention then imprisonment since June 2000 also reminds us that there is still a long way to go before we can state with any confidence that China is on the road to true modernization and reform.

He was born in 1954 into a family that had long supported the Chinese Communist Party and to a father that had reached the rank of Colonel in the People's Liberation Army. David spent his early years in Guangdong province, bordering Hong Kong, and in the 1960s - as was the case with many of his friends - he became a Red Guard and participant in China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. In 1966 he travelled with other Red Guards to Beijing to take part in one of the mass rallies held in Tiananmen Square. The excitement came from being able to travel with one's friends without much in the way of adult supervision, and from the possibility of catching sight of Chairman Mao as one young person among the millions who trooped past the viewing platform that looks over Tiananmen.

The inaptly named Cultural Revolution of the 1960s caused the shutdown of all universities in China and delayed his entrance to Fudan University in Shanghai until 1978, where he completed a Bachelor of Law in the International Relations department. With China's opening to reform well under way in the early 1980s, David was offered a prized Harvard-Yenching Institution scholarship which allowed him to study in Cambridge for a semester (1983-84) where he worked with Professor Ezra Vogel. Realizing that he needed a more extensive training in IR before he could embark on postgraduate work he next went to the Chinese University of Hong Kong and became an M.Phil student in the Department of Politics and Public Administration. He did well there, decided to make Hong Kong his permanent home, but still in search of a fuller grounding in IR he applied to read for the M.Phil at Oxford from 1989.

I got to know him shortly after that. Dr James Sherr of Lincoln College supervised him for the M.Phil, and subsequently I became his Supervisor for his doctoral work on Chinese intervention in the Korean War. The early 1990s were especially exciting times to be working on cold war topics, as those who have read the Cold War International History Project Bulletin will know. He was tireless in seeking out the new materials that were becoming available not only in China but also elsewhere in the former socialist bloc. I remember his great excitement in 1995 when, some months after Boris Yeltsin had handed over a large number of documents pertaining to the Korean War to the President of South Korea, he - together with other scholars - was given access to some of these materials.

David took longer than he had originally hoped to finish his thesis in part because he had to return to Hong Kong in 1993 to work full-time and to help bring up his young son. I continued to supervise him, and we always met when I visited Hong Kong. We often spoke of his desire to establish an independent research institute in the territory, modelled on Chatham House, and providing policy relevant advice and scholarly analysis in international affairs. He was never able to raise sufficient funding to reach this goal, but he did establish a small publishing house which provided an outlet for the scholarly writings of mainland Chinese and others interested in East Asian international relations. He also published regularly himself, sometimes in Western journals, more frequently in Chinese language publications.

His reputation as a scholar and that of the journals that he edited began to grow, but he was not content to spend his time as an editor and publisher and longed to return to university life. In 1999, he was offered the chance in Guangzhou and took up positions at the Academy of Social Sciences and at Zhongshan University. That period of contentment was horribly short-lived.
By Professor Rosemary Foot

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MEDIA COVERAGE

There has been extensive media coverage of the case in both the English and Chinese language press - including reports in the International Herald Tribune, The Times and a featured item on the UK's Channel 4 TV News. Examples in the English language include articles in the Guardian Weekly on 14 March 2002 ); the South China Morning Post on 27 May 2002 and the Washington Post on 18 October 2002. The open letter, sent to President Jiang Zemin on 19 February 2002, attracted considerable media coverage. Antonians round the world have also been offering advice and taking action of their own in support of Dr Xu.

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Antonian Contacts in College

The Press and Development Office
St Antony's College
Oxford OX2 6JF

Telephone: +44 (0)1865 274496
Fax: +44 (0)1865 274526
antonians@sant.ox.ac.uk