Chinese-American seismologist detained in China faces spying charges

Chinese state security officers detained Youlin Chen at Beijing International Airport on Nov. 5, 2024, as the Boston-based seismologist prepared to fly home after visiting family and lecturing at two universities. Chen, 54, has remained in Chinese custody since then and now faces spying charges tied to a career that included U.S.-funded work on detecting North Korea’s nuclear tests.

Chen became a U.S. citizen in 2011 and lives in Boston, Massachusetts. His wife, Yufang Rong, has been told that he may be tried behind closed doors. She fears Beijing has already decided on a conviction, and that an espionage case in China can carry a life sentence or, in especially grave cases, the death penalty.

At the center of the case is a 2020 report Chen prepared for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance. Titled “Estimation of Source Parameters of DPRK Nuclear Tests by Exploiting Regional Seismic Waves,” the report was approved for public release and examined the six known North Korean nuclear tests, including how their seismic signatures can be distinguished from earthquakes.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Chen as wrongfully detained on March 19, making his release a top U.S. priority. Chen is the only American currently held in China with that designation. The White House has kept the matter out of public view.

Rong said the issue came up during a May state visit to Beijing, when Xi Jinping promised to look into it, but no action has followed. The administration remains focused on getting Chen released, while Trump has said his relationship with Xi is very good.

He earned a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Southern California in 2003, graduated from Peking University in 1995 and worked for years as a senior researcher at Array Information Technology. The Foley Foundation puts the number of Americans unjustly held in China at at least 12, including some under exit bans.