US Seismologist Detained in China for Nearly Two Years

The wife of Youlin Chen, an American seismologist detained in China for nearly two years, is urging the Trump administration to help bring him home. Chen’s family, from Boston, has broken their silence just a few months before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit the US.

Chen, a China-born American, has been held since November 2024, when he was detained by state security agents during a personal trip to visit his parents in Beijing. He has since been charged with espionage, despite having previously worked as a US government contractor for the State Department and Air Force Research Lab, collaborating with Chinese colleagues on seismological data analysis.

The family has seen no indication from the Chinese government that it intends to release Chen, despite President Donald Trump raising the case directly with Xi during a meeting in Beijing in May. Chen’s wife, Yufang Rong, expressed her concerns for her husband’s health and well-being, stating that she has not been able to speak with him for over 600 days.

Global Reach, a Washington-based nonprofit assisting Americans wrongly detained abroad, has identified Chen as the sole US citizen designated by the State Department as wrongfully detained in China. This classification signals a high-priority case for the US government, often leading to intense diplomatic efforts to secure release. The White House has stated that President Trump wants every American detained abroad to return home, and has reunited over 100 individuals with their families since taking office.

Eric Lebson, a Global Reach adviser to Chen’s relatives, warned that if unresolved, Chen’s case could