WASHINGTON
\nA 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, reported here for the first time, adds an irritant to the tense relationship between the nuclear-armed rivals and comes as President Donald Trump seeks to keep the relationship steady following last year\u2019s trade war.
\nSecretary of State Marco Rubio on March 19 designated Chen, 54, as \u201cwrongfully detained,\u201d making his release a top US priority. The 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.
\nDr. Yufang Rong and her husband Dr. Youlin Chen, an American seismologist held for nearly two years by China, pose together in this undated photograph provided on July 13, 2026. (REUTERS)
\nA US source familiar with Chen\u2019s case said the administration was \u201cfocused on gaining his release from his unjustifiable detention.\u201d The source spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic talks.
\nChen, 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\u2019s detention with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who promised to look in to it. Xi\u2019s government, however, has taken no action, she said.
\nThe US source did not directly confirm that \u200cTrump discussed Chen with Xi. \u200cBut the source said the pair have a \u201cvery good personal relationship. This is one of many facets in the US-China \u200crelationship. No one issue is defining.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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, reported here for the first time, adds an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":556343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-556321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n