Filed at 7:41 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON(AP) -- The Chinese government has rejected a request from the U.S. embassy to attend the Beijing espionage trial Monday of democracy activist Yang Jianli, his wife's lawyer said Friday.

Yang's wife, Christina Fu, will not be allowed to be with her husband during the trial. Fu's lawyer, Jared Genser, said the Chinese suspect she was involved in her husband's use of false documents to enter the country illegally more than a year ago.

Yang, a Chinese citizen with permanent U.S. residency in the Boston area, has been accused of spying for Taiwan.

Genser said he was told by the State Department that Fu's request for a visa had been denied. And, he said, the Chinese government said if Fu enters China ``she will be dealt with according to Chinese law.''

He said he interpreted that to mean Fu would also be detained by police.

A State Department spokesmen, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that a U.S. official relayed the information about Fu and the trial to Genser, and that it was accurate.

Yang, a Chinese citizen with permanent U.S. residency, was indicted July 17, and will be tried for espionage and illegal entry in Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court. He has been held in China for about 14 months, and was first allowed to see an attorney just a month ago.

The court case is closed, according to Chinese authorities, because it involves charges of spying.

Genser said China's response to the U.S. government's request shows ``the Chinese government does not recognize the force of international opinion which weighs strongly in favor of a quick resolution of this case. It is sad but not unexpected that they would want to maintain a cloak of secrecy over Yang Jianli's trial.''

Yang's case has gotten attention from Congress and the United Nations.

The House and Senate passed a resolution calling for his ``immediate and unconditional'' release. And a U.N. committee ruled in June that Yang's detention violates international law because Chinese authorities failed to give him a fair trial or access to a lawyer.

Yang is founder of the Boston-based Foundation for China in the 21st Century. He was detained by Chinese police in April 2002 while trying to board a plane in Kunming using false papers.