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China rejects report that a U.S. scientist is being wrongfully detained

China rejected on Tuesday an accusation that it has wrongfully detained a U.S. citizen following a report by the Reuters news agency that an American seismologist has been held in the country for nearly two years and is facing trial on spying charges.

According to Reuters, Youlin Chen, 54, who was born in China, had carried out U.S.-funded work on detecting North Korean nuclear tests before he was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport on Nov. 5, 2024, as he prepared to board a flight home to Boston.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Chen “wrongfully detained” in March and made his release a top U.S. priority, according to Reuters, but his wife Yufang Rong told the news agency the Trump administration had withheld word of her husband’s case in the hope that high-level diplomacy might secure his release. 

Handout image of Dr. Youlin Chen, an American seismologist held for nearly two years by China
Dr. Yufang Rong and her husband Dr. Youlin Chen, an American seismologist held for nearly two years by China, pose together at Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada in this undated photograph provided on July 13, 2026.

Courtesy Dr. Yufang Rong/Handout/REUTERS

“China is a country governed by rule of law, and the relevant department handles the case in accordance with the rule of law,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian said Tuesday during a regular media briefing when asked about the case. “There is no instance of wrongful detention.”

Rong said the White House and State Department had told her that President Trump raised her husband’s detention with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a state visit in Beijing in May, but that he remained in prison.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday that the U.S. government had raised Chen’s case with Chinese officials, without specifying the level at which the conversations had taken place. The spokesperson reiterated the State Department’s call for Chen’s release.  

His detention came to light following the arrest last month of another U.S. citizen by Chinese authorities. Min Zin, a U.S. scholar and director of a think tank focused on Myanmar, was in China for a meeting when he was detained at an airport in the city of Kunming. He has been accused of spying and endangering Chinese national security.   

The Foley Foundation, a hostage advocacy group that works with the U.S. government, says there are at least 12 American citizens being wrongfully detained in China.

Chen’s wife Rong told Reuters that she fears China will convict him of espionage, a crime that carries a possible sentence of life imprisonment or even the death penalty. 

“I believe they will convict him no matter what and the trial will be behind closed doors,” she told the news agency.

She claims her husband has been interrogated more than 100 times and that he wasn’t allowed to see a lawyer for 13 months. U.S. embassy officials have visited Chen several times, Reuters said, but always with Chinese officials present.

At the beginning of his detention, Rong claims he was subjected to “harsh conditions” and was unable to obtain medication for his diabetes and other health problems. He’s lost 30 to 40 pounds, is given insufficient food and receives only poor-quality medications, she alleges.

President Trump is expected to raise both Chen and Zin’s cases with Xi when the Chinese leader visits Washington in September. 

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits shooting Brian Thompson

▶ Watch Video: CBS News New York Luigi Mangione entered a guilty plea in his federal case at a court appearance in Manhattan Friday morning, admitting to the judge that he shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel in 2024.Mangione, 28, faced both federal and state trials in New York for the deadly shooting. He had previously pleaded not guilty in both cases.Sentencing in the federal case will take place on Dec. 18, with Mangione facing a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.His state trial is currently set to begin in September. What happened in courtThompson's family arrived in the courtroom at around 10:50 a.m. The hearing, which had been set to start at 11 a.m., got started a bit late. The courtroom had filled press personnel as well as about two rows of members of the public. Mangione entered the court at around 11:10 a.m. with his feet shackled and his hands behind his back. He was wearing tan prison clothing with a white T-shirt underneath. Just before 11:15 a.m., Mangione's defense team told the judge Mangione "is prepared to plead guilty to the indictment at this time." The judge asked Mangione if that was correct. "Yes," Mangione told the judge. The judge then asked Mangione a series of questions about his background and use of medications and drugs. The judge then found Mangione to be fully competent to enter the plea. The judge told Mangione that the maximum possible sentence is life in prison followed by supervised release. The judge added that there's no parole in the federal system, although good behavior and other programs can impact how long he will spend in prison. He will be required to serve 85% of the sentence, the judge said. The judge pointed out that there's no plea agreement between the defense and prosecution, and Mangione's defense attorney said that's correct. Mangione's admission in courtMangione then told the court in his own words what he did. He told the court that he had for years endured severe pain for a boken back and had navigated the health insurance system. He told the court he learned about the UnitedHealthcare annual investor conference in New York even though it wasn't publicized, and traveled to it. He told the court he posed as an investor to find out more information about the conference. He told the court he used a 3D printer to make parts of the gun, and traveled to New York with the gun, silencer, and magazine with "the intent to shoot Brian Thompson." He said he shot Thompson in Manhattan knowing it would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury. Prosecutors then spoke in court, reviewing the evidence against Mangione. They pointed to video capturing the shooting, as well as Mangione fleeing the scene on the bicycle, his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, the recovered pistol and shell casings, as well as DNA found at the crime scene. Prosecutors said entries in Mangione's notebook expressed his desire to kill a health care executive. "Mr. Mangione, how do you now plead to counts one and two of the indictment," the judge asked. "Guilty," Mangione said. "I will accept your guilty plea," the judge said. About the chargesMangione initially faced four federal charges in Thompson's killing. Two of those charges against him, one of which brought the possibility of the death penalty — murder through use of a firearm and an additional firearms charge — were dismissed earlier this year, and federal prosecutors said they would not appeal that decision.That left federal stalking charges against him, which brought the possibility of life in prison without the possibility of parole.Jury selection in the federal case had been set to begin in January. Speculation about a possible plea deal had been rampant since Tuesday, when prosecutors and Mangione's defense team sent a letter to the court requesting a Friday conference regarding the federal case.What the federal plea deal means for Luigi Mangione's state trialThe plea deal will put an end to the federal trial and raises questions about Mangione's state trial, which is set to begin in September.The state case, in which he faces second-degree murder charges, among others, also carries with it the possibility of life in prison.The plea deal, however, may revive a double jeopardy argument, CBS News legal contributor Caroline Polisi said on "CBS Mornings" Thursday.Double jeopardy refers to a law stating "a person may not be twice prosecuted for the same offense," although there are a number of exceptions. "Luigi Mangione's defense team had made that argument in the state case prior, and this could revive it, because if you actually have a conviction on the federal case, it's a more robust double jeopardy protection in the New York state case. So we could see a motion there that could kick this state case back," Polisi said.Legal expert Rich Schoenstein, however, said he thinks the double jeopardy argument is "open and complicated and subject to debate." Schoenstein said that's because the federal charges Mangione is pleading guilty to are related to interstate matters and stalking, which are quite different than the second-degree murder, weapons and forged instrument charges he's facing on a state level. "So the weapons and forged instrument charges would not be resolved by the federal plea, and arguably the intentional killing charge would not be resolved. I do think there's a serious question as to whether this would be double jeopardy," Schoenstein said.The plea deal, however, may "put some pressure" on New York prosecutors to reach a deal too, "and therefore it could resolve the case on a negotiated level." Evidence in the Luigi Mangione caseKey evidence seized during Mangione's Pennsylvania arrest had been expected to be admitted in the federal trial, including a 3D-printed handgun, loaded magazine, a notebook and more.Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he arrived at a hotel for UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference. The killing  of the husband and father of two was caught on surveillance video, which showed Thompson being shot in the back as he walked down the street. Police say the words "delay," "deny" and "depose" were written on the ammunition, echoing a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.Thompson's killing set off a frantic multistate manhunt that ended with Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days later.This is a developing story. Check back soon for more information. 
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