Family seeks release of US seismologist held in China since 2024

An American seismologist has been detained in China on espionage charges since 2024, his family revealed Tuesday, saying US President Donald Trump's direct appeal for his release to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping went unanswered.

Youlin Chen -- who has researched how to detect underground nuclear tests using seismological data -- was detained on November 5, 2024, according to a statement from the NGO Global Reach, which is working with his family to secure his freedom.

Chen was formally declared "wrongfully detained" by the US government in March, but his family chose not to announce the designation in hopes it would help State Department efforts to have him released, the statement said.

Global Reach said that Trump urged Xi to free Chen during the US leader's state visit to China in May, and that the Chinese president reportedly agreed to work on the issue.

"We are now at the midpoint between the May commitment made by President Xi and his upcoming September visit to Washington, DC and the Chinese have made no apparent movement on releasing Dr. Chen," said Eric Lebson, Global Reach chief strategy officer.

The organization did not say why Chen was in China when he was detained or give any details of his arrest.

Chen's wife, Yufang Rong, said she had not been able to speak to her husband for over 600 days and was "concerned for his health and well-being."

"Youlin has never held a US government security clearance and to suggest he was involved in espionage is both wrong and inconsistent with the public and collaborative nature of the work that he has done," she said.

Chen has diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, according to a profile by the James Foley Foundation, which also advocates for wrongfully detained Americans abroad.

Global Reach said that Chen's arrest may be linked to the US government's accusation that China conducted underground nuclear tests in violation of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

"Chen's area of expertise -- seismic monitoring and detection of underground nuclear tests -- would give the Chinese government an opportunity to learn as much as possible about US seismic detection methodologies so they can establish countermeasures that allow them to circumvent" the treaty, Global Reach said.

The US military and State Department have funded some of Chen's research, Global Reach said, and he has authored studies on using data from across Asia, including in China, "to improve methods for nuclear-test monitoring and yield estimation."

China denies it has conducted explosive nuclear tests, saying the United States is seeking a pretext to resume its own testing.

The State Department on Tuesday urged Beijing to release Chen.

"The United States has raised Mr. Chen’s case directly with Chinese officials, calling for his immediate release," a department spokesperson told AFP by e-mail, reiterating the call for him to be freed.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AFP

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