The Taking of Andrew's Mother

The woman's name was a frosty interlude amid the pleasantries of George W. Bush's meeting with China's Vice Premier Qian Qichen. The woman is Gao Zhan, 40, a sociologist at American University in Washington who has been held by Chinese authorities since mid-February. Bush bluntly told Qian of his "extreme concern" about Gao. He was echoing similar statements by Secretary of State Colin Powell, who called the case "particularly outrageous."

Gao's ordeal began as she, her son Andrew, 5, and her husband Xue Donghua approached the Northwest Airlines counter at Beijing airport on Feb. 11 to return from a three-week vacation. Suddenly,...