By Ariana Eunjung Cha
Washington Post Foreign Service

BEIJING -- Officially, the trial of American geologist Xue Feng is about state secrets. He's accused of exporting sensitive information abroad for helping his Colorado-based employer buy a database about China's oil industry.

But Xue's attorneys say Chinese authorities pursuing the case have another motivation: commercial competition.

When Xue bought the surveys and maps for use in his company's research reports, the information was openly available. It was only after the fact that Chinese authorities classified it a "state secret."