Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the People's Republic of China has engaged in the arbitrary or wrongful detention of American academics and has otherwise harmed the prospects for scientific collaboration and people-to-people exchanges between the United States and the People's Republic of China.

Stephen F. Lynch

Democrat · MA · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• John R. Moolenaar (R-MI-2)Original· 2026-09-16
• Young Kim (R-CA-40)Original· 2026-09-16

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

2026-09-16

Source: Congress.gov

Plain-English summary pending. Introduced on 2026-09-16. Check back soon — summaries are generated as bills progress through Congress.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Res. 1549 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1549 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the People's Republic of China has engaged in the arbitrary or wrongful detention of American academics and has otherwise harmed the prospects for scientific collaboration and people-to-people exchanges between the United States and the People's Republic of China. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 16, 2026 Mr. Lynch (for himself, Mr. Moolenaar, and Mrs. Kim) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the People's Republic of China has engaged in the arbitrary or wrongful detention of American academics and has otherwise harmed the prospects for scientific collaboration and people-to-people exchanges between the United States and the People's Republic of China. Whereas the People's Republic of China (referred to in this preamble as the ``PRC'') has a long history of detaining United States citizens under dubious circumstances or depriving them of their freedom; Whereas the PRC has used the arbitrary or wrongful detention of Americans and other foreign nationals for political purposes to obtain concessions from the United States and other countries, undermining the legitimacy of the PRC's judicial system; Whereas current and previous Secretaries of State have determined that at least 5 United States citizens were being wrongfully detained in the PRC pursuant to section 302(e)(2)(A) of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 1741(e)(2)(A)) since the designation was established on December 27, 2020; Whereas the PRC's arbitrary or wrongful detention of United States citizens-- (1) undermines the rule of law; (2) subjects United States citizens and their families to undue hardship; and (3) is unacceptably coercive to the United States Government; Whereas the Department of State previously recommended that United States citizens traveling to the PRC reconsider such travel due to serious risks, including wrongful detention, but the China Travel Advisory was downgraded from Level 3 to Level 2 on November 27, 2024; Whereas, on November 5, 2024, the Government of the PRC arrested Dr. Youlin Chen, who is a United States citizen who has conducted transparent and open-source seismological research in cooperation with academics in the PRC, and has held him on baseless espionage charges for more than 600 days without a trial or access to his family; Whereas the Government of the PRC deprived Dr. Chen of access to a lawyer for the first 434 days of his detention and interrogated him more than 100 times about his work without a lawyer present; Whereas despite high-level engagement between the United States Government and the Government of the PRC to resolve Dr. Chen's case, the Government of the PRC has not yet taken any productive action to release Dr. Chen; Whereas, on June 3, 2026, authorities of the PRC detained Min Zin, a United States citizen who is the executive director of a Myanmar-focused policy think tank, at the Kunming Changshui International Airport after he was invited to attend an academic event at a university in Yunnan province in the PRC; Whereas the Kunming Municipal State Security Bureau has subjected Min Zin to detention and he has not been denied yet had access to legal counsel; Whereas the PRC's practice of engaging in ``hostage diplomacy'' against the United States and other foreign countries runs contrary to its stated intent to promote academic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, increasing the risks for United States citizens and others considering travel to the PRC; and Whereas…

in advance of the anticipated visit to Washington, DC in September 2026 by the PRC leadership, the Government of the PRC has an opportunity to demonstrate its good faith and commitment to a constructive relationship of ``strategic stability'' by unconditionally releasing Dr. Youlin Chen and Min Zin: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) condemns the People's Republic of China's repeated pattern of arbitrary or wrongful detention of United States citizens as unacceptable and a material harm to the bilateral relationship and the prospects for bolstering academic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges; (2) urges the United States Government to make the safe return of United States citizens detained in China a top priority, including the return of Dr. Chen and Min Zin; (3) urges the Secretary of State to use all available tools to press for the release of all United States nationals being unlawfully or wrongfully detained in the People's Republic of China, including by-- (A) considering adding a ``D'' indicator to the China Travel Advisory to make it clear to United States nationals considering travel to the People's Republic of China that the country engages in the wrongful detention of Americans; (B) reviewing the Travel Advisory Level on China to see if the current risks indicate raising it from Level 2 (exercise increased caution) to Level 3 (reconsider travel); and (C) reviewing the criteria for designation as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention pursuant to the Countering Wrongful Detention Act (22 U.S.C. 1741); and (4) supports President Trump's efforts to raise concerns about the continued detention of Dr. Chen and Min Zin to bring both United States citizens home to their loved ones safely and quickly. <all>

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