China has not engaged with United States officials over two Americans the State Department considers wrongfully detained, despite repeated personal appeals from President Trump and positive signals from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Sources close to the cases described Beijing’s lack of engagement as out of character.

The detained Americans are Youlin Chen, a seismologist jailed for more than two years, and Min Zin, an academic arrested in June. Both cases are being handled by China’s Ministry of State Security.

Trump is likely to raise their cases when he meets Xi on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18 and 19. It would be Trump’s third appeal involving Chen and his second involving Min Zin.

Min Zin was hospitalized in October and treated for dehydration, stomach illness and other ailments. His health has added urgency to his family’s campaign for his release.

Gun Laws Have Changed! Protect yourself by knowing where you can and cannot carry your firearm, so you can travel with confidence.

“The beginning of December will mark 6 months of Min Zin’s detention. I continue to worry about the impacts of his imprisonment on both his physical and mental health,” Sylvia Zin, his wife, said in a statement to The Hill.

“I hope that President Trump will demand Min Zin’s immediate and unconditional release when he sees President Xi at the APEC Summit next week.”

Trump views the release of Americans and others unjustly imprisoned abroad as a pillar of his legacy. The State Department says the president has helped secure the release of at least 115 Americans.

The State Department has designated Chen and Min Zin as wrongfully detained after examining their cases and determining that the allegations or charges are unwarranted. Chen has been accused of espionage, while Min Zin has not been charged.

China’s Ministry of State Security is the country’s principal civilian intelligence service and conducts foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations. The source described the ministry as most comparable to the CIA, although reportedly much larger.

Advocates for Min Zin hope there is an opportunity to secure his release before Chinese authorities issue charges. They argue authorities could announce that their investigation did not uncover anything, but they fear charges would begin a new timeline involving a trial and sentencing.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. rejected the American position and said Chen and Min Zin are “suspected of engaging in activities that endanger China’s national security and violate Chinese law.”

“China is a law-based country. There is no such thing as so-called ‘wrongful detention’,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Chinese judicial authorities are handling the cases in accordance with law.”

The State Department responded to China’s silence in October by adding a “D” risk indicator to its travel warning for the country. The indicator identifies what the department considers a serious risk that Americans could be wrongfully detained.

Eric Lebson, who is advising the Chen family, called the move a clear message that China had failed to act on commitments to resolve the cases. Lebson is chief strategy officer for Global Reach, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing home Americans wrongfully held abroad.

The United States believes China takes seriously the reputational effects of travel warnings. Xi has discussed bringing 100,000 American students to China during the next five years while promoting the country as a destination for international business.

“China keeps its door wide open, welcomes American companies wanting to invest and do business there,” Xi said during the September State visit at the White House.

China’s travel warning remains at Level Two, meaning American citizens should “exercise increased caution.” The addition of the “D” indicator suggests the State Department is considering raising the warning to Level Three, which advises people to reconsider traveling to the country.

“That’s significant because it will impact the ability of American businesses and universities and others to allow travel to China and that will have a serious reputational and economic impact on China,” Lebson said.

Seven countries have “D” indicators from the State Department, and five are at Level Three or Level Four, which carries a Do Not Travel warning. The list includes Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Nicaragua.

Congress is also pressing China to release Chen and Min Zin. House and Senate resolutions introduced in September supported imposing a “D” indicator, bringing bipartisan lawmakers and the Trump administration together before Trump hosted Xi for a State visit.

The resolutions condemn China’s imprisonment of the two Americans and advocate raising the travel advisory to Level Three. They also call for the State Department to examine whether China meets the category of a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention.

According to the resolution text, China’s practice has “harmed the prospects for scientific collaboration and people-to-people exchanges between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.”

Trump created the State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention label through an executive order in September 2025, and Congress codified it later that year. His administration has applied the label to Afghanistan and Iran.

China protested the creation of the designation and denied that Beijing engages in unjust imprisonment. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian declared, “There is no so-called issue of ‘wrongful detention’ in China.”

“It is well known that wrongful detention, arbitrary detention, coercive diplomacy, long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions are among the U.S.’s favorite tools.”

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.