Min Zin held in China is wrongfully detained, US says

The United States has designated Min Zin, a US citizen held in China on an accusation of espionage, as wrongfully detained and called for his release.

Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson said Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the determination. Johnson said Min Zin, a political analyst at a policy think tank focused on Myanmar, was taken into custody in China's southwestern Yunnan province on June 3.

“There are now two wrongfully detained US citizens in China: Mr Zin and Dr Youlin Chen,” Johnson said. He said Washington would keep advocating for Min Zin and call for the release of US citizens who are arbitrarily detained or exit banned in China.

Johnson said Min Zin had travelled to China to attend an academic conference at the invitation of the Chinese government.

China's foreign ministry has said Min Zin was held “on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities that endanger China's national security.”

Min Zin is a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar, which researches political, resource and conflict dynamics in Myanmar. The think tank is based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, a hub for Myanmar political exiles since the 2021 military coup ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Some of the institute's publications detail China's influence in Myanmar's borderlands, where Beijing is accused of supporting both rebel factions and the military in pursuit of its interests.

The US designation comes about a month before Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to visit President Donald Trump in Washington.