India, July 14 -- China has detained a Chinese-born American seismologist, Dr. Youlin Chen, who conducted U.S.-funded research on detecting North Korea's nuclear tests. Chen, a U.S. citizen since 2011, has reportedly been in detention since November 2024 after being arrested at Beijing International Airport while returning to the United States following a visit to family and academic institutions in China. He now faces espionage charges and is expected to stand trial.

According to Chen's wife and U.S. officials, Chinese investigators have repeatedly questioned him about his publicly funded research on analysing seismic signals generated by North Korea's nuclear tests.

The research, conducted in collaboration with Chinese academics, used...