WASHINGTON: A Chinese-born American seismologist who has published US-funded work on detecting North Korean nuclear tests has been detained in China for nearly two years and faces trial on spying charges, according to his wife, US lawmakers and two hostage advocacy groups.The case of Youlin Chen adds an irritant to the tense relationship between the nuclear-armed rivals and comes as President Trump seeks to keep the ties steady following last year’s tariff-related hiccups.Secretary of state Marco Rubio on March 19 designated Chen, 54, as “wrongfully detained,” making his release a top US priority. Trump administration has withheld a public announcement to allow space for high-level diplomacy aimed at securing his freedom, according to his wife, Yufang Rong.A US source familiar with Chen’s case said the administration was “focused on gaining his release from his unjustifiable detention.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity. Chen, who became a US citizen in 2011 and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, is the only American currently held in China designated as wrongfully detained, according to his wife and hostage advocates.Rong said she has been told by the White House and the state department that during a state visit to Beijing in May, Trump raised her husband’s detention with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who promised to look in to it. Beijing, however, has taken no action, she said.In an interview, Rong expressed concern that Beijing has decided, even before putting Chen on trial, to find him guilty of espionage, a crime that in China carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison or even the death penalty for cases deemed especially grave.“I believe they will convict him no matter what and the trial will be behind closed doors,” said Rong, who is also a seismologist but does not collaborate on her husband’s work.China’s judicial organs handle cases according to the law and “there is no so-called wrongful detention,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday.The Foley Foundation, a hostage advocacy organisation that has been tracking Chen’s case, believes that Chen is among at least 12 Americans unjustly held in China, said Elizabeth Richards, the group’s director of hostage advocacy.US embassy officials have visited Chen several times, but Chinese officials are always present, preventing him from speaking freely, said Rong.Eric Lebson, a former US national security official whose hostage advocacy organisation, Global Reach, is advising the family, said he believes China wants to use Chen’s expertise to improve its ability to conceal underground nuclear weapons tests through a technique called decoupling.Lebson said that Chen is employed by a US govt contractor, and has never had a US security clearance or performed classified work. His research on North Korean test blast seismic waves has been funded by the state department and the Air Force Research Laboratory, said Lebson. He added that it was done in collaboration with Chinese academics, it used publicly available Chinese data and is viewable on the internet.Chen was arrested by Chinese state security officers on Nov 5, 2024, at Beijing International Airport as he prepared to fly home to Boston after visiting family and lecturing on his work at two universities, according to Rong and Lebson. He was charged with espionage on May 1, 2025, but has not yet stood trial.(Reuters)
