(CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said Friday it was "extremely disappointed" by a Chinese court decision to uphold the eight-year prison sentence of American citizen Xue Feng. "I am extremely disappointed in the outcome although it wasn't completely unexpected," said U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman. "We ask the Chinese government to consider an immediate humanitarian parole of Xue Feng thereby allowing him to get back to his family and his way of life." The geologist, a naturalized American citizens, was convicted on charges of violating state secrets and faces a fine of 200,000 yuan (about U.S. $30,400). Xue has spent about three years in prison since his arrest.
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The American citizen was sentenced to eight years for allegedly violating state secret laws
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The U.S. ambassador to China has called for his release on humanitarian parole
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Xue was working in China as a geologist for a Colorado-based consulting firm
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