American Seismologist Held in China for Nearly Two Years Without Trial

A Chinese-born American seismologist has spent nearly two years in Chinese detention without a public trial, with his family now breaking their silence to draw attention to his case and urge Beijing to act on the commitment Chinese leader Xi Jinping made to President Trump to look into his release.

According to a July 24 report by NextShark, Youlin Chen, 54, of Boston, was detained by Chinese state security agents in November 2024 while visiting his parents in Beijing, according to multiple reports citing Global Reach, a nonprofit advising his family. Despite being a U.S. citizen since 2011 and building a respected career in seismology, he was charged with espionage by Chinese authorities on May 1, 2025, a crime that under Chinese law can carry penalties ranging from life imprisonment to death.

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Nuclear research at the center of case

Chen’s past research was funded by the U.S. State Department and the Air Force Research Laboratory. One study, published in December 2020 and approved for public release, analyzed North Korea’s six known nuclear tests using regional seismic data, including publicly available data from Chinese monitoring networks, to distinguish underground nuclear explosions from natural earthquakes.

His wife, Yufang Rong, also a seismologist, said Chinese authorities questioned her husband more than 100 times about that research. She wasn’t permitted to have a lawyer see him until 13 months into his detention. “I have not been able to speak with my husband for over 600 days,” Rong said in a statement, adding that she remains concerned for his health and well being.

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Global Reach said Chen has lost roughly 40 pounds in detention, noting that he also suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol–conditions that require ongoing medical management that are difficult to ensure under detention, especially while under duress. Rong said she fears her husband will ultimately be convicted, and that any trial may proceed without public access.

Trump raised case With Xi

On March 19, Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Chen as “wrongfully detained” by Beiing authorities, making him the only American in China with that status, and thereby placing his case among Washington’s top diplomatic priorities.

According to Global Reach, citing State Department officials, President Trump raised Chen’s detention directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their May 2026 meeting in Beijing. Xi reportedly told Trump he would look into the matter.

Trump also raised another detention case during that same meeting, after which Chinese church leader Ezra Jin was released following 10 months in detention. Jin was first arrested in October 2025, during a nationwide crackdown on leaders of the popular church. Authorities accused him of “illegally using information networks” after the church continued conducting online worship services outside the Chinese Communist Party-approved network of “legal” religions.

Concerns of cross-border repression

Weeks before Chen’s family went public, another American scholar under dubious charges. Min Zin, a U.S. citizen and founder of the Myanmar-focused think tank ISP-Myanmar, was detained shortly after arriving at Kunming Airport in Yunnan Province on June 3. China’s Foreign Ministry said Min had been placed under detention “on suspicion of engaging in espionage endangering China’s national security.”

Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher, called the lack of public evidence in Min’s case “extremely worrying.” Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) also warned that Chen’s treatment “weakens the relationship and may make other scholars less willing to collaborate with Chinese counterparts.”

Meanwhile, Chen’s family maintains that his work reflected the kind of legitimate international scientific exchange that Beijing has publicly said it wants to encourage. “He was simply doing scientific research and international collaboration, [which is] precisely the kind of people-to-people exchange the Chinese government says it wants to promote,” Rong said.

With Xi expected to visit Washington in September for another summit with U.S. officials, Chen’s family hopes renewed attention ahead of that visit could produce a breakthrough, especially while he remains detained without a fair trail. The U.S. continues to press China to protect his rights, while Beijing maintains the case is being handled lawfully.