‘WRONGFULLY DETAINED’:
A security expert said that China wants to use Chen Youlin’s expertise to improve its ability to conceal underground nuclear weapons tests
Reuters, WASHINGTON
A Chinese-born American seismologist who has published US-funded work on detecting North Korean nuclear tests has been detained in China for nearly two years and faces trial on spying charges, his wife, US lawmakers and two hostage advocacy groups said.The case of Chen Youlin (陳有林) adds an irritant to the tense relationship between the nuclear-armed rivals and comes as US President Donald Trump seeks to keep the relationship steady following last year’s trade war.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 19 designated Chen, 54, as “wrongfully detained,” making his release a top US priority. The Trump administration has withheld a public announcement to allow space for high-level diplomacy aimed at securing his freedom, said his wife, Rong Yufang (榮玉芳).
Rong Yufang, left, and her husband, Chen Youlin, a US seismologist held for nearly two years by China, pose together in an undated photograph provided on Monday.
