American Seismologist Held Two Years in China on Espionage Charges

Youlin Chen, a China-born seismologist, has been detained since late 2024 on accusations he spied for the US while studying North Korean nuclear tests through seismic data. His family broke silence in July 2026, seeing no path to release. Chen's work—analyzing seismic waves from weapons tests using government-funded research—sits in contested territory Chinese authorities now treat as a national security threat.