Families of Americans jailed in China plead with Trump for breakthrough as Xi summit raises hopes

BEIJING, CHINA: Families of Americans detained in China are urging President Donald Trump to press Chinese President Xi Jinping for their release as the high-stakes Trump-Xi summit fuels new hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough.

The emotional appeals come as Trump meets with Xi in Beijing for a closely watched summit dominated by trade tensions, the Iran conflict, and broader US-China relations.

Families say Trump has a rare opportunity to push Xi directly

The families of Dawn Michelle Hunt and Nelson Wells Jr., two Americans imprisoned in China for more than a decade, have publicly called on Trump to personally intervene during talks with Xi.

Among the detained Americans are Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Michelle Hunt, who were arrested in separate cases in 2014 and are accused of smuggling, which their families say was unwitting.

Both were convicted on smuggling charges, their relatives argue, that were tied to so-called “blind mule” schemes, in which travelers unknowingly transport narcotics for criminal groups.

Both Americans are now serving long prison terms in China, and there are serious concerns about their health. Hunt, a former flight attendant and artist from the Chicago area, and Wells, a Louisiana father of three, are said to need medical care that their families worry they cannot receive while in prison.

Those who work with the families as advocates say that the timing of Trump’s summit with Xi could provide a rare diplomatic opportunity.

Hope for detained Americans as Trump and Xi show cordiality

When Wells spoke via phone to his parents in April for his mother, Cynthia’s, birthday, he was said to “be in a cheerful mood.” It was a change of pace for the lone Black American locked up with only Chinese inmates for years, his mental and physical health wearing down.

“He said that he thinks this is it,” Nelson Wells, Sr., a US Army veteran, told Military.com.

“He started packing his bags, and he was counting on the fact that they were supposed to have the summit because we had been informing him and letting him know that this was taking place and that we were on the 1-yard line.”

Hunt and Wells’ families told Military.com they’ve held out hope through several presidential administrations, both Republican and Democratic, especially following more recent high-profile negotiations that saw Americans released from countries including Russia and, yes, China.

Families of detained Americans argue their loved ones have become caught in a legal and geopolitical system where diplomatic leverage often matters as much as courtroom proceedings.

The cases have gained growing bipartisan attention in Washington over the past year, including congressional hearings and proposed legislation aimed at increasing support for Americans wrongfully detained overseas.

"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, who is advising the Hunt and Wells families.