Wife of US seismologist held in China says Trump will ask Xi to free him
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Trump → hold → him
The wife of a US expert on North Korean nuclear tests who has been imprisoned in China since late 2024 said on Sept 22 the White House has assured her that US President Donald Trump will ask Chinese leader Xi Jinping to free her husband when the pair meet in September.
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pair → imprison → September
Yufang Rong said she feared that Beijing planned to try her Chinese-born husband, Youlin Chen, on fabricated espionage charges even though his US-funded research was openly published, used publicly available data and was done in collaboration with Chinese scientists.
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research → say → scientists
Trump will welcome Xi on Sept 23 for their second meeting since May as the leaders of the world’s leading powers seek stability amid tensions ranging from trade to Iran and Taiwan.
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leaders → welcome → Iran
Rong said she was assured during a Sept 22 meeting at the White House with officials from the State Department and National Security Council that Trump would ask Xi to free her husband.
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Trump → say → husband
Chen, 54, is one of two Americans held by Beijing that the US has designated as “wrongfully detained”, making their release a top priority.
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release → hold → that
The other is Min Zin, a scholar arrested in June.
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other → arrest → June
Rong said she was told that Trump also would press Xi to release Zin.
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Trump → say → Zin
Trump raised Chen’s case with Xi during a visit to Beijing in May, but it produced no action, Rong said.
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Rong → raise → action
“Resolving the wrongful detentions of US citizens is always a top priority for the president,” a senior US official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
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official → resolve → matters
The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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embassy → respond → comment
The Chinese foreign ministry said in July that the country’s judiciary deals with cases according to the law “and there is no so-called wrongful detention”.
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judiciary → say → law
‘Be strong’
Chen, whose detention was revealed by Reuters in July, is a seismologist with a US government contractor.
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detention → reveal → contractor
His work detecting shockwaves from North Korean underground nuclear tests has been openly funded by the State Department and the US Air Force Research Laboratory.
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work → detect → Department
He became a US citizen in 2011 and settled in the Boston area.
He was arrested by Chinese state security officers on Nov 5, 2024, at Beijing International Airport as he prepared to fly home after visiting family and lecturing at two universities.
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he → become → universities
Rong said her husband had been interrogated more than 100 times.
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husband → say → ?
“I can’t imagine how hard his life is there every day,” she said.
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she → imagine → ?
She believes that China wants to use her husband’s expertise to improve its ability to conceal nuclear tests using decoupling, a technique in which a device is detonated inside a large underground chamber to reduce the size of the shockwaves.
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device → believe → shockwaves
The US has accused China of using decoupling to try to mask a low-yield nuclear test blast on June 22, 2020.
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US → accuse → June
China, which like the US has signed but not ratified a 1996 international ban on nuclear tests, denies conducting the test.
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which → sign → test
US embassy officials had been allowed to visit Chen for about 30 minutes once a month, always in the presence of Chinese officials, Rong said.
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Rong → allow → officials
They read out letters she had written to him and he dictated his replies.
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he → read → replies
“They record his appearance, his mental status, and just anything that they observe,” she recounted, adding that Chen’s Chinese lawyer was not allowed to discuss his visits with her.
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lawyer → record → her
Rong is concerned about the conditions of her husband’s confinement, where she said he received substandard medical care and food.
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he → say → care
He suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes.
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He → suffer → pressure
Asked what she would say to her husband if she could see him, Rong replied: “Be strong.
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Rong → ask → him
You will come back for sure.”
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You → come → ?
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