Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Aug 20: The United States has designated Myanmar scholar and US citizen Min Zin as “wrongfully detained” after his arrest by Chinese authorities in June, making securing his release a top priority for Washington, a senior State Department official said on Thursday.
The designation comes weeks before US President Donald Trump is expected to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House, with rights groups urging Washington to press Beijing over Min Zin's detention ahead of Xi's anticipated September 24 visit.
“US citizen Min Zin has been detained by Chinese security services on undefined charges since June 3. For nearly 11 weeks, he has been subjected to repeated interrogations, isolation and detention conditions,” the State Department official said.
The official said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had decided to designate Min Zin as wrongfully detained following a review of his case.
The US official called on China to release Min Zin and other Americans detained in the country, including Chinese-born US seismologist Youlin Chen, whose detention has also been designated by Washington as wrongful.
“The safety and security of US citizens globally is President Trump's top priority,” the official said, adding that China must treat American citizens with respect and release those who are wrongfully detained or placed under exit bans.
Rights organisations estimate that the number of Americans who may be unjustly detained in China ranges from about a dozen to hundreds, including people subject to coercive exit bans. Beijing has rejected such allegations, maintaining that cases involving foreign nationals are handled in accordance with Chinese law.
Min Zin had been living in Thailand before his arrest and had previously spent time in the US and Myanmar. He held a valid Chinese visa and had travelled to China in the past to attend academic conferences.
According to the State Department, Min Zin travelled to Yunnan on June 3 after being invited by the Chinese government to attend an academic conference in Kunming. He was detained inside the airport shortly after arriving.
The official said Min Zin's colleagues and family were communicating with him by phone about his arrival and plans when contact suddenly stopped. For nearly 48 hours, his family and friends did not know where he was or what had happened to him.
Yunnan authorities later informed the US embassy that Min Zin was under criminal investigation for allegedly “endangering national security”.
Chinese authorities confirmed his arrest in June and said he was suspected of spying and endangering China's national security.
Rights advocates have accused Beijing of using the detention of foreigners as leverage in diplomatic relations, a practice they describe as “hostage diplomacy”.
Min Zin's supporters, including some former Trump administration officials, have urged the US president to raise his case directly with the Chinese leadership.
The State Department official said the case had also raised concerns among academics about the possibility of foreign scholars being targeted or detained after travelling to China for professional engagements.
Min Zin, a former student activist who participated in Myanmar's 1988 democracy movement, studied political science at the University of California, Berkeley.
He later helped establish the Institute for Strategy and Policy, a think tank focused on Myanmar. The organisation was initially based in Myanmar but moved overseas following the 2021 military coup that ousted the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
China has publicly supported Myanmar's current administration, which came to power following an election widely criticised for excluding major opposition groups, including Suu Kyi's political party.