Key facts
- US scholar Min Zin has been arrested in China on suspicion of espionage.
- Min Zin researches Chinese foreign policy and trade with Myanmar.
- He disappeared on June 3 after attending a conference in Kunming.
- China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the arrest on Friday.
- The scholar is suspected of activities endangering China's national security.
China has arrested a US scholar, Min Zin, who focuses on Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy, on suspicion of espionage. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the arrest on Friday, stating Zin was suspected of "engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security."
Min Zin, a former student activist in Myanmar's 1988 uprising who later sought asylum in the US, disappeared on June 3 after traveling to Kunming in China's Yunnan province for a conference. He is a PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, and founded the thinktank ISP Myanmar, which has published reports on Chinese foreign policy and trade with Myanmar, including rare-earth exports.
This arrest is uncommon for a US citizen on national security allegations and occurs approximately one month after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which aimed to reset the countries' strained relationship. An activist familiar with Min Zin, who spoke anonymously, noted that he had visited China numerous times previously and was not currently involved in direct activism.