China detains prominent Myanmar political analyst Min Zin on espionage charges

Mizzima

Min Zin, a prominent Myanmar political analyst and founder of the think tank ISP Myanmar, has reportedly been detained by Chinese authorities on suspicion of spying and endangering national security.

During a regular press briefing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed the arrest. He stated that Min Zin has been placed under criminal detention. China has officially notified the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou regarding the case, as U Min Zin is a naturalized U.S. citizen, according to the international media reports.

Unnamed sources stated that Min Zin was arrested on 3 June at the airport in Kunming, a southwestern Chinese city bordering Myanmar, where he had traveled to attend a meeting.

Min Zin is a widely respected political scientist, former journalist, and student activist from Myanmar’s 1988 pro-democracy movement. He later studied political science at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-founded the Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP) – Myanmar. The research organization, known for tracking Myanmar’s political transitions, military conflict, and Chinese influence in the region, moved its operations overseas to Thailand following the 2021 military coup.

The detention of a U.S. citizen on national security charges is a rare event in China. It comes at a sensitive time as Washington and Beijing have been working to stabilize bilateral relations, shortly after the U.S. President Donald Trump visited China to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

U.S. diplomatic officials are reportedly aware of the situation and are monitoring the case.