The family of a Chinese businessman sentenced to death for spying for Taiwan is awaiting word on his fate after an emotional "last meeting" this morning, his son-in-law said.

Wo Weihan, 60, is accused of passing sensitive information to Taiwan, a self-ruled island China claims as a breakaway province.

He has been in custody since early 2005 and had confessed, but later retracted the confession which his family said was made while he had no access to a lawyer or the outside world.

Wo, a doctor, is accused of "discussing the health status of senior Chinese leaders, which is considered to be top secret and of sending information from a 'classified' magazine available in the Chinese Academy of Sciences library", human rights group Amnesty International said.

His daughter, Ran Chen, was summoned to Beijing from the United States this week and told today's meeting with her father would be her last.

But the family said Wo was surprised to see them and had not been prepared for the meeting, so they held back their carefully prepared farewells to avoid upsetting him.

They have had no word since on his fate. They had been warned before the meeting that Wo could be executed shortly afterwards.

"There is no confirmation. We are eager to hear -- being in the dark is a very difficult place to be," his son-in-law, Michael Rolufs, told Reuters.

Wo told his daughter he believed in the Chinese justice system and said it "would do the right thing".

China's Foreign Ministry said Wo had violated the law and his trial had been fair and procedural rights protected.

"Just because Wo Weihan has foreign relatives does not mean his case should be handled differently," spokesman Qin Gang told a news conference.