An American academic, Mr Li Shaomin, was convicted of spying in China today and ordered deported, the state news agency Xinhua reported.
Mr Li's conviction was announced by the agency less than seven hours after his trial had been scheduled to begin.
The agency did not say when Mr Li would be deported.
Mr Li (45) has been in detention since February 25th when he was picked up in the southern city of Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong, and detained without explanation.
The Chinese-born US academic, who was formally charged with spying for Taiwan in May, has a doctorate from Princeton University and was teaching at the City University of Hong Kong up until his arrest.
"Large number of evidences produced at the court show that Li accepted tasks from a Taiwan spy organization and collected information for it, which harmed state security of China," Xinhua said.
Analysts had predicted Mr Li's trial would be wrapped up quickly and that he would be deported to erase unresolved sensitive issues from Sino-US relations ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell at the end of this month.
Mr Powell will be the most senior US official to visit China under the Bush administration.
The trial was timed the day after Beijing won the bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games to avoid controversy during the bid, analysts said.
Mr Li's case is believed to be the first trial involving a US citizen held on political charges since the 1995 trial of Mr Harry Wu, a Chinese-American who was charged with spying for videotaping and documenting China's use of prison labor.
A US embassy official welcomed China's decision to deport Mr Li but said he did not know when it would happen.
"We welcome China's decision to release Mr Li so that he can be reunited with his family," said a US embassy spokesman. "This has been a matter of great concern to many people in the United States and one we have raised at high levels with the Chinese government."
AFP