China detains US-Myanmar analyst on espionage allegations
Beijing says Min Zin, a US citizen and Myanmar policy researcher, is accused of espionage and endangering national security.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
China has detained an American citizen it accuses of espionage, a case that adds another point of strain in relations with Washington. The man was identified by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Min Zin, a political analyst whose work focuses on Myanmar.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Friday that Min Zin had been placed under what he called “criminal compulsory measures” on suspicion of spying and harming China’s national security. Lin said Beijing had informed the US consulate general in Guangzhou about the case.
The New York Times reported Thursday that Min Zin, who holds US and Myanmar citizenship, disappeared on June 3 in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province near China’s border with Myanmar. The newspaper cited people familiar with the case in reporting that he had been detained in early June.
Researcher focused on Myanmar politics
Min Zin is a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar, known as ISP-M, which studies Myanmar’s politics, natural resources and armed conflict, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. The organization is based in Yangon, Myanmar’s former capital.
Myanmar has been in civil war since the military seized power in 2021. The New York Times reported that ISP-M has worked from several locations since the coup, and that Min Zin has spent time in Myanmar, the United States and Thailand, where he lives.
The newspaper described Min Zin as a Myanmar politics researcher who protested military rule as a teenager. It also reported that he has written opinion articles criticizing both Myanmar’s military government and the opposition groups fighting it.
An Instagram post by another policy group that hosted events involving Min Zin in May described him as a PhD candidate in the Travers Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, according to Al Jazeera and AFP.
The reason for Min Zin’s detention remains unclear. It is also not known whether he was carrying out research when Chinese authorities took him into custody, according to the reporting.
Case comes during renewed China-US diplomacy
The US Department of State told The New York Times that it was aware of the arrest and was seeking to provide appropriate consular help, but it did not disclose further details.
China’s embassy in Washington told the newspaper that China is governed by law and that foreigners in the country must obey Chinese laws. The embassy said people who break the law and commit crimes will be held accountable.
The case comes as China’s Foreign Ministry announced that Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to visit China from June 15 to 19. It also follows US President Donald Trump’s state visit to China in mid-May, part of an effort by Washington to reduce tensions after a tariff fight that Trump began last year.
Trump has said he intends to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington in late September.
Al Jazeera and AFP reported that between 200 and 300 US citizens are detained in China on accusations ranging from drug offenses to financial crimes. Washington says some Americans held by China are wrongfully detained.
In 2024, the United States and China each released three nationals in a prisoner exchange, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. Those released included US businesspeople and Chinese intelligence officers.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.