Beijing seeks return of detained official's younger brother

Beijing is seeking the return of Ling Wancheng, the youngest brother of a former top official who has fled to the United States, The New York Times reported, citing several unnamed US officials. Ling’s older brother Ling Jihua was personal secretary to China’s previous president, Hu Jintao, and is now awaiting trial on corruption charges after recently being expelled from the party. Christopher K. Johnson, a former CIA analyst focusing on China, said the Chinese leadership might want the youngest Ling’s assistance in prosecuting his older brother and would want to prevent the “treasure trove” of knowledge he has about Chinese politics from passing to US officials.