Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Min Zin detention not wrongful, China says
China said Friday that US citizen Min Zin was suspected of violating Chinese law and denied Washington's designation of him as wrongfully detained.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China was governed by law and that there was “no such thing as so-called wrongful detention”. Lin said the US citizen was suspected of activities that endanger China's national security and that Chinese judicial authorities were handling the case according to law.
The US State Department designated Min Zin as wrongfully detained on Thursday. Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson has said Min Zin, a political analyst at a Myanmar-focused policy think tank, was taken into custody in China's southwestern Yunnan province on June 3 after travelling to China for an academic conference at the invitation of the Chinese government.
Min Zin is a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar, which researches Myanmar's politics, resources and conflict. Some of its publications cover China's influence in Myanmar's borderlands.
The designation came a month before Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to President Donald Trump in Washington. Washington now considers two US citizens wrongfully detained in China: Min Zin and seismologist Youlin Chen, who has been detained on espionage charges since 2024.
Update
China said Min Zin was suspected of activities that endanger China's national security, without using the earlier more specific wording in the supplied candidate.
Min Zin is a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar.
The US designation came a month before Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to President Donald Trump in Washington.
The item identifies Youlin Chen as a seismologist detained on espionage charges since 2024.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 August 2026 at 08:38:42 UTC.
Update
China denied that the US citizen held since June was wrongfully detained.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 August 2026 at 07:58:23 UTC.
Update
The designation came about a month before Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to visit President Donald Trump in Washington.
Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson said Min Zin had travelled to China for an academic conference at the invitation of the Chinese government.
China's foreign ministry said Min Zin was held on suspicion of espionage activities endangering China's national security.
Min Zin is a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar, based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The think tank researches Myanmar's political, resource and conflict dynamics, and some of its publications cover China's influence in Myanmar's borderlands.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 August 2026 at 13:11:40 UTC.
Update
The detained US citizen was identified as Min Zin.
Min Zin was arrested in China on June 3 on an accusation of espionage.
Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson said Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined Min Zin is wrongfully detained.
Johnson said there are now two wrongfully detained US citizens in China: Min Zin and Dr Youlin Chen.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 August 2026 at 12:53:09 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The precise activities Chinese authorities suspect Min Zin of carrying out were not specified.
Source
AFP news report published on .