Chinese envoy meets cabinet secretary

LUCKNOW: Chinese ambassador to India Zhang Yan met cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh amid speculation that he was here to highlight the case of three Chinese nationals who are in jail on charges of `suspected spying'. Zhang had sought an appointment with chief minister Mayawati, but could not meet her due to her pre-scheduled engagements, says an official release.
Three Chinese nationals, including a pregnant woman, had strayed into the Indian side at Rupadiha on the Indo-Nepal border in January.
Employed with a Chinese telecom company, they were engaged in installation of mobile towers in Nepal, when they accidentally walked into the Indian side of the border and were arrested. They were lodged in Bahraich jail and have been repeatedly denied bail. The pregnant woman had sought the court's intervention to arrange for her abortion following which she was shifted from Bahraich jail to Lucknow.