China Detains U.S. Citizen Min Zin on Espionage Charges

China’s foreign ministry has confirmed the arrest of Min Zin, a U.S. citizen and leader of a think-tank focusing on Myanmar. The ministry accuses him of espionage and threatening China’s national security.

Min Zin is currently under criminal detention, as per the regulations, due to suspicions of engaging in spying activities, said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, at a news conference. The U.S. consulate general in Guangzhou has been informed about the arrest.

Min Zin, the executive director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP) – Myanmar, was apprehended upon his arrival at Kunming in southwest China. Information comes from three individuals with knowledge of the situation, all of whom wish to remain anonymous due to the matter’s sensitivity.

Requests for comments from the U.S. State Department and ISP-Myanmar to Reuters went unanswered. According to one insider, Min Zin was detained at Kunming airport approximately two weeks ago, though additional details have not been disclosed.

This incident occurs as the United States and China aim to mend their strained bilateral relations following President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Beijing. Min Zin, a former student activist from Myanmar’s 1988 democracy movement, pursued political science studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He subsequently founded the ISP, which operated within Myanmar before moving abroad after the 2021 coup that deposed Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.

The coup led Myanmar into a prolonged civil conflict involving the military and various pro-democracy forces. Min Zin’s ISP closely monitors this political turmoil, recently releasing analyses on Myanmar’s transitional politics after Min Aung Hlaing’s military-backed presidency and the nation’s struggling economy.

China has extended public support to Myanmar’s new administration, which assumed power after a controversial election that excluded key opposition factions, including Suu Kyi’s party.