Wife of Detained US Seismologist Hopes Trump Will Raise Case at Xi Summit

Ahead of a high-stakes summit between US and Chinese leaders, the wife of a detained Chinese-American seismologist has expressed hope that intervention by President Donald Trump could bring her husband home, nearly two years after his detention in China.

Youlin Chen, 54, was detained in November 2024 by Chinese state security agents as he was wrapping up a personal trip to visit his parents in Beijing, according to his wife, Yufang Rong. He was stopped at an airport and later charged with espionage, a charge his family denies. Chen, who was born in China and moved to the United States in 1998 for academic pursuits, lives in Boston.

Rong said she has not seen her husband or heard his voice in 685 days. "I'm so worried about him," she said, holding up a photograph of him on her phone.

Trump is expected to raise the cases of Chen and Min Zin, 53, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The two are the only US citizens the American government considers wrongfully detained in China. The talks are also expected to cover issues ranging from artificial intelligence security to Iran.

"When he's personally involved in such cases, Americans come back home. That's what I've learned," Rong said.

The White House has said Trump wants every American detained abroad to return home. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a question about the two men's cases.

Chen, a scholar of earth and earthquakes, also studies nuclear tests, including those in North Korea, his wife said. She speculated that Beijing might have targeted him for his expertise.

"He can use data to detect if something that happens underground is a natural earthquake or is a nuclear explosion," Rong said. "And he can, using his methodologies, he can estimate the size of the nuclear explosion."

Since his detention, Rong said she has never had direct contact with Chen, learning about his condition only through US consular officials who visit him periodically. Through those officials, Chen has told her not to worry about him and has asked about mundane household chores such as changing air conditioning filters.

"But I know he is going through such unthinkable difficulties," Rong said. "It's very hard to read his message each time."

She said she worries about his physical and mental health. "He has a lot of medical conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol level," she said. "I don't think he has access to the medication that he used to have in the US."

Rong said Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Chen as a wrongful detainee on March 19, 2026, after which she received more help from the US government, including access to senior officials at the National Security Council, the State Department and Congress. She said she remains in regular contact with them and that Trump has been supportive of her husband's case.

"I'm still hopeful," she said. "I'm sure that when President Trump mentions Youlin again to President Xi this case would be solved soon."