Stories
Trump to Confront Xi on Detained US Scientist Youlin Chen
- •US President Donald Trump is expected to raise the detention of Chinese-American scientist Youlin Chen with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their upcoming talks.
- •Youlin Chen, a seismologist working on US-funded research to detect North Korea's nuclear tests, has been detained in China for nearly two years on espionage charges, which the US government calls "wrongful."
- •Chen's wife, Yufang Rong, stated that the White House assured her Trump would press Xi for Chen's release, a matter previously raised by Trump in May without success.
- •Chen, an American citizen since 2011, used publicly available data and collaborated with Chinese scientists, with his wife describing his work as "transparent" and refuting espionage allegations.
- •Chinese officials claim Chen engaged in activities endangering national security, while his wife suggests their interest might stem from his expertise in detecting or concealing underground nuclear tests.
Key Questions Answered
Youlin Chen is a 54-year-old Chinese-American seismologist born in China who became a US citizen in 2011 and settled in Boston. He worked as a US government contractor focusing on seismological data to detect underground nuclear explosions, including examining seismic signatures of North Korea's nuclear tests.
Chen was arrested while flying home after visiting family in Beijing and giving university lectures. China's Foreign Ministry claimed he was suspected of endangering national security and violating the law, while the US government has classified his detention as wrongful.
His wife Yufang Rong stated that Chen's work was transparent, funded by the US State Department and Air Force Research Laboratory, and based on openly published, publicly available data used in collaboration with Chinese scientists. She firmly refuted espionage allegations and suggested Chinese officials might want his expertise for detecting or hiding underground nuclear tests.
