The Chinese judiciary has sentenced a 78-year-old US citizen, a permanent resident of Hong Kong, to life in prison for espionage, a local court announced Monday.

It is relatively rare in China for a foreign national to be sentenced to such severity on this charge.

The People's Court of First Instance in Suzhou, east China, said in a statement that Jun Xing-Wan Leong was "convicted of espionage and sentenced to life imprisonment and life deprivation of political rights."

His private property amounting to 500,000 yuan (66,000 euros) was also confiscated from him during the trial that took place on Monday.

The statement did not mention the exact nature of the facts attributed to him.