China detains U.S. seismologist for nearly two years without trial

Chinese-born U.S. seismologist Youlin Chen, a 54-year-old American citizen since 2011, has been held in China for nearly two years without trial after his arrest at Beijing Capital International Airport on Nov. 5, 2024, as he prepared to fly home to Boston. Beijing has not acknowledged any wrongful detention in Chen’s case.

Chen’s wife, Yufang Rong, has said he is facing espionage charges and that she fears Chinese authorities have already decided to convict him. She said he has been interrogated more than 100 times and was denied access to a lawyer for 13 months. Rong also said she was told by the White House and State Department that President Donald Trump raised Chen’s detention with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a state visit to Beijing in May 2026, but that Beijing has taken no action.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Chen as “wrongfully detained” on March 19, 2026, making his release a U.S. priority. Wrongful detention determinations can hinge on the fairness of the judicial process and whether a person is being used as a bargaining chip, and wrongful detention poses an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. national security and the economy. The Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs leads the government’s efforts to free Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained overseas and works with families and nongovernmental groups.

The Foley Foundation says there are 41 current publicly disclosed hostage and wrongful detention cases, and wrongful detention accounted for 89% of Americans unjustly held in captivity in 2025. The Foley Foundation says Chen is the only American currently held in China designated as wrongfully detained, and that there are at least 12 American citizens being wrongfully detained in China.

In a December 2020 paper, he examined the magnitude of North Korea’s six known nuclear test blasts and how to distinguish their seismic signatures from earthquakes. China’s foreign ministry has rejected the idea that he is being wrongfully detained, saying there is “no so-called wrongful detention” and that judicial organs handle cases according to law.

Another U.S. citizen in China, scholar Min Zin, was detained in Kunming and accused of spying and endangering national security.