US families ramp up efforts for loved ones’ release from China ahead of Xi’s visit

Chen Youlin, a Chinese-American scientist, travelled back to China in October 2024 for a month-long holiday, including to celebrate his mother’s 80th birthday. As he prepared to leave, authorities arrested him at the airport in Beijing.For more than 670 days, his wife, Rong Yufang, and other family members have not been able to see or speak with him.“Sometimes I realise I can no longer clearly remember the sound of his voice, and that breaks my heart,” Rong told the China-morning-post" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="12558" data-entity-type="organization">South China Morning Post. “Our home feels empty without him and the uncertainty surrounding his future has become a prison for our family as well.”Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to Washington next week, cases of several US citizens detained in China are gaining greater attention as their families step up pressure on the Trump administration to press Beijing for their release.