{"id":5014,"date":"2026-07-15T18:03:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5014"},"modified":"2026-07-15T18:03:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:03:15","slug":"us-pressing-for-release-of-mass-seismologist-who-officials-say-has-been-wrongfully-detained-in-china-since-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5014","title":{"rendered":"US pressing for release of Mass. seismologist who officials say has been wrongfully detained in China since 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>A Massachusetts seismologist has been wrongfully detained in China since late 2024, and US officials are pressing for his release, according to the State Department and Senator Ed Markey. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5012\">Social Security is trying to stabilize a year after DOGE cuts<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>In a statement Tuesday, Markey, a Malden Democrat currently seeking reelection, identified the detained researcher as Dr. Youlin Chen. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Markey did not provide Chen\u2019s age or his city of residence in Massachusetts but confirmed he lives in the state, calling him \u201cmyconstituent.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cHe is a prominent seismologist who has worked collaboratively with Chinese seismologists for years, and his work is highly respected,\u201d Markey said. \u201cHe has never held a security clearance, and his work is transparent, academic in nature, and publicly reported and attributed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Markey said academics from both countries have \u201clong collaborated\u201d to the mutual benefit of the two nations. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He said the \u201ctreatment of Dr. Chen has undermined that partnership and may deter other academics from engaging with their colleagues in China.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Chen hasn\u2019t been convicted of a crime in China, according to Markey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cDr. Chen has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest and did not have access to his lawyer for 434 days,\u201d Markey said. \u201cHe has also not spoken to his family since his arrest. I am deeply concerned about Dr. Chen\u2019s safety and well-being.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Markey said he\u2019s glad the State Department has designated Chen as wrongfully detained under US law, something the senator said he repeatedly pressed for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI have personally engaged with [Chinese] Ambassador Xie Feng on Dr. Chen\u2019s case and urged him to work with his colleagues in Beijing to secure Dr. Chen\u2019s release,\u201d Markey said. \u201cI will continue to do everything within my power to advocate for Dr. Chen\u2019s immediate release.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A State Department spokesperson said Wednesday that the US has raised Chen\u2019s case directly with Chinese officials, calling for him to immediately be freed from custody.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe reiterate our call for Mr. Chen\u2019s release,\u201d the spokesperson said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Chinese Embassy in Washington DC, reached by email Wednesday, denied that Chen was being wrongfully held. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5010\">Lionel Messi, Argentina look to return to World Cup final, but will have to beat Jude Bellingham, England<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cChina is a country governed by the rule of law,\u201d said embassy spokesperson Liu Chang in a statement. \u201cIts judicial authorities handle cases in accordance with the law, and there is no such thing as so-called wrongful detention.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The embassy did not respond to inquiries about why Chen was detained and the current status of his case. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, a New Hampshire-based nonprofit named for a journalist who was abducted in Syria in 2012 and killed in 2014 after nearly two years as a hostage, said Chen had traveled to China in October 2024 to visit family and was arrested at a Beijing airport the following month as he was set to fly home. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe agents accused him of espionage because of the research he has done for the U.S. government; unfounded allegations against an American researcher,\u201d said the foundation, which advocates for the return of US hostages held abroad, in a statement posted to its website. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Chen has a number of health issues, the foundation said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cHe suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, conditions that require consistent medication and medical monitoring,\u201d the foundation said. \u201cHe needs reliable access to treatment and care that is not available while he is unjustly incarcerated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Chen\u2019s wife, Yufang Rong, took to X on Tuesday to thank President Trump for advocating for her husband\u2019s freedom. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThank you @realDonaldTrump for fighting for my husband Youlin Chen, the only U.S. wrongful detainee held in China for 600+ days,&#8221; Rong wrote on X. <\/span><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><span>Rong said in a follow-up posting that she\u2019s \u201cso grateful to have @SebGorka and other senior members of the Trump Administration advocating for the freedom of Dr. Youlin Chen.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><span>Markey, meanwhile, in his statement described wrongful detainment as a \u201ccowardly practice\u201d that benefits no one. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI applaud the courage of Dr. Chen\u2019s family for making this difficult decision to go public,\u201d Markey said. \u201cIt is my hope that increased attention on his unjust detention will force the Chinese government to do the right thing and release Dr. Chen and allow him to return to his family in Massachusetts. I am praying for Dr. Youlin Chen and his family today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5008\">Not hyperbole to say Red Sox\u2019 next 17 games affect not only this season but the franchise\u2019s future<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a statement Tuesday, Markey, a Malden Democrat currently seeking reelection, identified the detained researcher as Dr. Youlin Chen. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US pressing for release of Mass. seismologist who officials say has been wrongfully detained in China since 2024 - 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