An American seismologist has been detained in China for nearly two years on espionage charges, and his family has gone public with the case, demanding more pressure from the US administration to secure his release.

The case concerns Yulin Chen, an American researcher whose work in detecting and monitoring underground nuclear tests has been funded by the United States government. The organization Global Reach, which represents his family, says Chen is the only American citizen officially recognized by Washington as being “wrongly detained” in China.

Chen was arrested in November 2024 and has been in detention since then, while his family says there has been no progress in diplomatic efforts for his release.

According to Global Reach, his case was raised during US President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in May. Trump, according to the organization, asked his Chinese counterpart for the release of the American seismologist.

However, Chen's family says Chinese authorities have not taken action on the request. "Chen's family is speaking out for the first time on this issue because the Chinese government has not acted on President Trump's request for his release," Global Reach said in a statement. Eric Lemson of the organization warned that if the issue is not resolved soon, it could return to the negotiating table during future meetings between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump.

"I have not been able to speak to my husband for more than 600 days," said Chen's wife, Yufang Rong.

She has denied the espionage allegations against her husband, saying his work was public and scientific. "He never had access to classified national security information from the US government. To suggest that he was involved in espionage is untrue and contradicts the public and collaborative nature of his work," she said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, has denied claims of unjust detention. A Chinese diplomatic spokesman stated that there is “no case of suspected unjust detention” in China. The case of Yulin Chen comes at a time of ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing over security, technology and scientific exchanges.

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