China has detained a US seismologist who studies nuclear test activity for nearly two years on espionage allegations, the man’s family said, while Beijing said the case is being handled under Chinese law. Get today's headlines by email Detained in Beijing visitChen Youlin, 54, was arrested in November 2024 while travelling to Beijing to visit family, according to Global Reach, a US hostage advocacy group. His relatives decided to speak publicly after they said they had not seen any indication that Chinese authorities would release him. Chen’s wife, Rong Yufang—also a seismologist—said she has not been able to speak with her husband for more than 600 days and is concerned for his health and welfare. She said in a statement carried by Global Reach that he has been denied regular contact. China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that judicial authorities handle cases according to law. Spokesman Lin Jian said there was “no such thing as so-called wrongful detention”. In China, he noted, espionage convictions can lead to life imprisonment or the death penalty. Chen is currently the only US citizen designated as “wrongfully detained” by Global Reach. Work focused on North Korea testsRong told Reuters that Chinese authorities questioned Chen more than 100 times about his research and that he was not allowed to see a lawyer for the first 13 months of his detention. Chen, who was born in China and became a US citizen in 2011, lives in Boston, Massachusetts. His published work focuses on North Korea, a close Chinese partner that has been under long-running sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme and underground nuclear tests. It is not clear, the reporting said, whether and how Chen’s research intersected with any nuclear activity by China. US intelligence has suggested that China is developing a new nuclear arsenal and has carried out secret tests, charges Beijing denies. Rong said Chen worked with Chinese colleagues in ways she described as transparent, adding that his work was collaborative rather than secretive. His research included a study in December 2020 that used seismic data recorded across Asia—including China—to improve nuclear test monitoring and estimate yields. Treaty monitoring and US-funded projectsChen’s work drew on seismological methods to detect nuclear explosions. He also undertook projects funded by the US government, according to Global Reach. The advocacy group said there are “suspicions within the US government” that Chen’s arrest was linked to China conducting nuclear tests in violation of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The treaty aims to ban all nuclear explosion tests, but several “nuclear-capable” states have not ratified it, including the US and China. Both countries have observed voluntary moratoriums on explosive nuclear testing. In June 2020, during Donald Trump’s first term, the US administration accused China of conducting a covert underground nuclear test at the Lop Nur facility in the country’s north-west. China rejected the allegations as unfounded and politically motivated. Health concerns and US responseA separate US-based hostage advocacy group, the Foley Foundation, said Chen’s health is a concern and noted he has diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It said he needs reliable access to medical treatment that is not available while he is imprisoned. US Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said China’s handling of Chen “has undermined [its] partnership [with the US]” and could discourage other academics from working with Chinese counterparts. In a statement published on Tuesday, Markey said he hoped increased attention would lead to Chen’s release. Details about Chen’s detention emerged about a month after China confirmed it had arrested another US academic, Min Zin, director of a Myanmar-focused think tank. Beijing has accused Min of spying and of endangering Chinese national security. Join the discussion? 15 July 2026
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