Families of two Americans jailed in China urge US president to push for their freedom
“I’m going to have that discussion with president Xi,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Washington’s long-standing support for Taiwan’s defence. “President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion.”
China claims the democratically governed island as its own, a contention Taiwan rejects. Washington follows a “one China policy”, acknowledging China’s position but taking no view on Taiwan’s sovereignty. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer and is bound by law to help with its defence.
The arms transfers are a long source of friction in US-China relations. In December, Mr Trump announced the largest ever US weapons package for the island, more than $11bn (€9.3bn).
In recent days, Mr Trump’s aides have urged Taiwan to commit even more money to its defence, and a US official said the Trump-Xi summit signalled no change in policy towards Taiwan.
Trump has cast himself as a dealmaker who brings Americans home
Speaking to reporters, Mr Trump repeated his doubt that tension over the island would erupt during his presidency.
“I don’t think it’ll happen,” Mr Trump said, without specifying further exactly what he meant. “I think we’ll be fine. I have a very good relationship with president Xi.”
Meanwhile, the families of two Americans imprisoned in China for more than a decade are urging Mr Trump to seek their release.
The cases involve Dawn Michelle Hunt (54), a Chicago-area artist and former flight attendant, and Nelson Wells Jr (52), a Louisiana native and father of three, who were convicted on drug charges after what their families say were separate “blind mule” scams in which they were unknowingly used to carry narcotics.
For Mr Trump, who has cast himself as a dealmaker who brings Americans home, securing the release of two ailing US prisoners would offer a gain from a summit expected to be short on outcomes amid tensions over trade, Iran and Taiwan.
For Beijing, a humanitarian release of two Americans would be a low-cost gesture that could buy goodwill at a sensitive moment in the relationship.
“With president Trump meeting president Xi, our two families are writing letters – we’re asking, ‘Can you please ask for the release of our loved ones?’,” said Tim Hunt, Ms Hunt’s older brother.
Cynthia and Nelson Wells Sr are fighting for the release of their son Nelson Wells Jr. Photo: Reuters
Mr Hunt said his sister is an artistic “brainiac”, a highly intelligent person, and former flight attendant with a degree in fashion design who loved entering sweepstakes with her mother.
Mr Hunt said Ms Hunt was lured into an international “prize” trip by scammers who, once she was in China, gifted her purses and a new suitcase containing hidden drugs that she unwittingly agreed to carry on a flight out of the country.
Mr Wells Jr travelled the world, climbed mountains and explored Japan’s peaks, sharing the views with his father. Wells was arrested after agreeing to carry another person’s suitcase while returning from a trip to China, his family said. The individual vanished once security at the airport discovered narcotics hidden in the bag.
“I enjoyed serving my country,” said Wells’ father, Nelson Wells Sr, a US army veteran whose wife also worked for the Department of Defence for 28 years. “Now I just want my country to serve me.”
A spokesperson for the US State Department said it is providing the pair with consular assistance and that officials are advocating for the health and welfare of the two citizens.
A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the two are serving sentences for serious drug-related crimes.
Advocates say the State Department has made a formal request to Chinese counterparts for both prisoners to be released on humanitarian grounds, and that Chinese officials have privately indicated a willingness to consider it if the appeal comes from a senior level.
“The Chinese side has shown a willingness to grant the humanitarian release, but they are also keen to hear from the US side just how important it is for the American people,” said Beijing-based lawyer James Zimmerman.
Ms Hunt has developed serious health problems, needs blood transfusions but does not trust prison doctors enough to consent to surgery. Mr Wells suffers from severe seizures, diabetes, high blood pressure and other complications.
In 2024, China and the US each released three citizens both governments said were wrongfully detained in the other country, concluding years of diplomacy.
His father died in January without seeing his daughter freed
The advocates say US official attention has intensified in recent months. Peter Humphrey, a fraud investigator and former prisoner in China who now advises families of foreign detainees in the country, said the US embassy has been raising the cases more frequently with Chinese authorities.
The health concerns are now central to both families’ appeals.
“Both Ms Hunt and Mr Wells are gravely ill and in desperate need of medical care in the US – they should both be granted humanitarian parole,” said John Kamm, whose San Francisco-based Dui Hua Foundation researches political prisoners in China.
Dui Hua estimates that there are around 200 Americans in carceral facilities in China.
Both families say the cases have gained momentum after the families testified at a September 2024 hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which brought wider attention to Americans imprisoned in China.
For the two families, the toll at home has deepened with time. Tim Hunt said his father died in January without seeing his daughter freed.
Mr Wells’ youngest daughter, now 12 and living in Japan, barely knows her father.