BEIJING — Chinese security officers have arrested an American citizen who studies politics in Myanmar, accusing him of spying and endangering Chinese national security.
U Min Zin was arrested in early June, according to the New York Times. He disappeared on June 3 while in Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar.
China confirmed Min Zin’s arrest at a press conference on Friday afternoon, saying he was suspected of spying and endangering China’s national security. The Chinese government has notified the US consulate general in the southern city of Guangzhou, according to Lin Jian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry.
It is rare for China to arrest a US citizen on charges of a national security crime, and the action against Min Zin takes place as President Trump and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, are trying to establish a type of partnership between the two nations.
Min Zin is a political scientist and executive director of a policy research group originally based in Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar. The group has worked from different locations since a 2021 military coup in Myanmar.
“We are aware of reports regarding a US citizen detained in China,” the State Department said in a statement Thursday when asked about the arrest. “Whenever a US citizen is detained, we work to provide the appropriate consular assistance.” It declined to give further details, citing federal privacy law.
The Chinese embassy in Washington had no immediate comment, but sent a statement on Thursday night, saying it was not familiar with the specific details of the case.
“China is a country under the rule of law,” the embassy said. “All foreigners living and traveling in China must observe Chinese laws, and those who violate the law and commit crimes will be held legally accountable.”
Min Zin’s detention also comes as Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing is set to pay a visit to Beijing later next week.
Beijing is known to have a close relationship with Myanmar’s junta, the country’s military government that seized power in a coup in 2021.
Known to be a student activist during Myanmar’s 1988 pro-democracy movement, Min Zin fled to Thailand to escape arrest by the military government. He later went to the US to study and also returned to Myanmar in 2010.
According to the New York Times, he currently lives in Thailand, but spends time in both the US and Myanmar.
According to the Centre for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy, Min Zin is also currently a PhD student at the University of California Berkeley.
Min Zin was in Kunming attending a meeting on 3 June when he was arrested at the airport, according to news agency AFP, which quoted several sources.
One source, speaking to AFP, said his family was “worried” and that they were “following up” with the US consulate in China’s Guangzhou.
Source: Saudi Gazette