The US government has condemned the decision by a Chinese court to sentence a veteran Chinese journalist to seven years in prison for espionage. Washington has called for his immediate and unconditional release.

Reuters news agency says a court in Beijing handed down the ruling to Dong Yuyu on Friday.

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on the same day that the sentencing is "unjust" and highlights China's failure to protect the right to freedoms of speech and the press.

The statement also says the United States praises Dong's achievements as a journalist and his contributions to people-to-people ties between the US and China.

Sources say Dong served as a deputy editor in the commentary section of the Guangming Daily newspaper, which is affiliated with the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

The journalist was detained by authorities shortly after meeting with a Japanese Embassy official in February 2022. He was indicted in March last year on spying charges.

Dong is known to people involved in Western media, as well as diplomats. He previously worked as a researcher at Harvard University in the US.