China wrongfully detaining US citizen, State Department declares

U Min Zin was arrested in June while attending a conference.

The State Department officially declared on Thursday that a U.S. citizen who was arrested by the Chinese government in June was wrongfully detained, and pushed for his immediate release.

U Min Zin, a longtime scholar on the politics of Myanmar, traveled to Yunnan, China, at the invitation of the Chinese government and was arrested on June 6.

Chinese officials alleged that Min Zin, "lawfully subjected to criminal compulsory measures by the relevant authorities on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities that endanger China's national security."

However, Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Min Zin's detention as "wrongfully detained," which indicates the U.S. government views the charges levied against the detainee as questionable and possibly politically motivated.

Johnson said the State Department made the determination following "an extensive review."

Min Zin took part in the democracy movement in Burma, Myanmar's former name, in the late 80s and fled the country in 1989 to avoid arrest, according to a bio on his blog.

He is the executive director of the think tank, The Institute for Strategy and Policy (Myanmar), and has written for several publications about Myanmar's politics.

Min Zin was scheduled to speak at an event in Nepal that took place weeks after his arrest.

In addition to Min Zin, the State Department said that another U.S. citizen, Youlin Chen, a seismologist who lived in Boston, has been wrongfully detained by the Chinese government since November 2024.

Chen was visiting his family at the time of his detainment, and the Chinese government accused him of espionage due to research work he had done for the U.S. government.

The State Department has refuted the allegations against Chen.

"The safety and security of U.S. citizens is the State Department's top priority. We will continue to advocate for Mr. Zin and call for the release of all U.S. citizens who are arbitrarily detained or exit-banned in China," Johnson said in a statement.

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