US Declares Citizen Wrongfully Detained in China, Demands Release

A U.S. citizen arrested by the Chinese regime on spy allegations has been formally determined by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained, increasing the priority of his case ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s expected visit next month.

U Min Zin was arrested on June 3 when traveling to Yunnan, a southwestern Chinese province bordering Burma, also known as Myanmar. He was to attend an academic conference at the invitation of Chinese authorities, according to the State Department.

After an extensive review of his case, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has “determined that U.S. citizen Min Zin is wrongfully detained in China,” Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson said in a statement on Aug. 20.

“We call on Beijing to release all U.S. citizens arbitrarily detained or exit banned in China,” Johnson wrote on X. “The safety and security of U.S. citizens is the State Department’s top priority.”

China’s foreign ministry confirmed the detention of Min Zin in mid-June, accusing him of conducting espionage that threatened China’s national security. The ministry didn’t elaborate on the accusation, saying only that they had informed the U.S. side.

Min Zin was a student activist in the 1988 pro-democracy protests in his home country, Burma. He later helped establish the Institute for Strategy and Policy, a research group that has produced studies in Burma’s politics, socioeconomic issues, and foreign relations.

A PhD candidate in the political science department at the University of California-Berkeley, Min Zin has authored analyses on Burma’s political transition and its relations with China, among other topics.

China is Burma’s top trading partner and has invested billions of dollars into the neighboring country. Xi and Burmese leader Min Aung Hlaing pledged to deepen cooperation after meeting in Beijing on June 16.

In an Aug. 20 statement, the Institute for Strategy and Policy welcomed the Trump administration’s designation, saying it “sends a clear message that Min Zin’s release is a top priority.”

“We sincerely hope he can reunite with his family and team soon,” it said.

In addition to Min Zin, another U.S. citizen classified by the State Department as wrongfully detained in China is Chen Youlin.

Rong Yufang and her husband, Chen Youlin, an American seismologist held by China for nearly two years, pose together in an undated photograph. Courtesy Rong Yufang/Handout via Reuters

Chen, a seismologist born in China, has been held by Chinese authorities for nearly two years without trial. The case was made public in July.

Chen was arrested at an airport in Beijing on Nov. 5, 2024, as he prepared to return to Boston after visiting his family, according to human rights groups. Chinese agents have accused Chen of espionage related to his research on U.S. government-funded projects, the groups said.

Rubio raised their plight in July when he met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in the Philippine capital, where they also discussed preparations for the Sept. 24 summit between President Donald Trump and Xi.

“We raise it through every engagement we have. Those are always a priority,” Rubio told reporters in Manila, referring to cases of detained Americans. “And we’ve had good news in the past, and hope to have some good news in the future.”

“China has a long record of unjustly detaining American nationals on dubious charges,” Hostage Aid Worldwide, a Washington-based non-profit, wrote on X on Aug. 20. “Min Zin is not alone.”