Overview
- Youlin Chen, a Chinese-born U.S. citizen and seismologist, was taken into custody at Beijing Capital International Airport on Nov. 5, 2024 and has been charged with espionage with a trial pending.
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Chen as wrongfully detained in March, a classification that directs specialized diplomatic resources to secure his release.
- Chen’s family and advisers say Chinese authorities have questioned him more than 100 times about his open, U.S.-funded research on detecting underground nuclear tests and that his health and weight have sharply declined in detention.
- Beijing rejects the wrongful-detention claim and says judicial authorities are handling the matter according to law, while U.S. officials are said to have raised Chen’s case privately at the highest levels of diplomacy.
- Advocates warn the case highlights a wider risk for foreign researchers because China can retroactively treat public data as state secrets and the case could resurface during Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Washington in September.