China detains 2 US citizens who ran teaching program
Source: AP
By YANAN WANG an hour ago
BEIJING (AP) — China said Thursday it detained two U.S. citizens on suspicion of organizing others to illegally cross the border, amid sharpening tensions between the sides over trade, technology and other sensitive issues.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said police in the eastern province of Jiangsu arrested Alyssa Petersen and Jacob Harlan on Sept. 27 and Sept. 29.
“The department handling the case has informed the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai in a timely manner, arranged U.S. diplomats to conduct consular visits and protected the legitimate rights and interests of the two,” Geng said at a regular press briefing.
Harlan is the owner and Petersen the director of a Rexburg, Idaho-based organization called China Horizons, whose website says it is an English teaching program that offers an “immersive experience within a Chinese school.”
However, a post on the 17-year-old group’s Facebook page dated Saturday said it would be shutting down at the end of the month.
“Unfortunately, because of increasing political and economic problems between the U.S. and China, we are no longer able to send teachers to china safely,” the post said.
It said Harlan and Petersen may be detained “for the next few months or years.”
“They are being charged for bogus crimes and their families are working on getting them international lawyers to help them get back home to the States,” the post said.
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= new reply since forum marked as read
Maybe China should build a wall 
