Wife of detained Chinese American scientist hopes Trump brings up his case in Xi summit

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ahead of a high-stakes summit between the U.S. and Chinese leaders, the wife of a detained Chinese American seismologist expressed hope that an intervention by President Donald Trump could bring home her husband, Youlin Chen, nearly two… government to be wrongfully detained in China.“When he’s personally involved in such cases, Americans come back home.

That’s what I've learned,” Yufang Rong told The Associated Press in an interview in Washington on Tuesday, a day before Xi's arrival.Trump spoke with Xi about Chen when the U.S. president was in Beijing in May, Rong said, and if Trump mentions the case again this week, “I’m sure ... this case would be solved soon."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 cases of both men, whose families have traveled to Washington to meet senior U.S. officials ahead of Xi's visit.Wife of detained American says seismologist has ‘done nothing wrong’Chen, who was born in China and moved to the U.S. in 1998 for academic pursuits, was detained in November 2024 by China’s state security agents when he was wrapping up a personal trip to visit his parents in Beijing, Rong said.Chen, who studies the Earth and earthquakes and is based in Boston, was stopped at an airport and was later charged with espionage, a charge the family denies.

“He has done nothing wrong,” Rong said.Chen's work is open and transparent, and he has collaborated with scientists around the world, including those in China, Rong said. She said his detention came as an utter shock.“No one had expected such a thing would happen to him. He has been doing his research during his entire career,” Rong said.Chen also studies nuclear tests, including those in North Korea, his wife said.“He can use data to detect if something (that happens) underground is a natural earthquake or is a nuclear explosion.

And he can, using his methodologies, he can estimate the size of the nuclear explosion,” Rong said, speculating that Beijing might have targeted Chen for his expert…