China Arrests U.S. Myanmar Researcher on Espionage Suspicion

China has arrested U Min Zin, an American citizen and prominent Myanmar political analyst, on suspicion of espionage and endangering national security, Beijing confirmed Friday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Min Zin, a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar, or ISP-M, had been subjected to “criminal compulsory measures.” Lin said authorities were holding him on suspicion of “engaging in espionage and endangering China’s national security,” but did not provide details about the allegations.

China has notified the U.S. consulate general in Guangzhou about the case, Lin said.

The arrest was first reported by U.S. media. The New York Times reported that Min Zin, who holds dual U.S. and Myanmar citizenship, disappeared in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province near the Myanmar border, on June 3. CBS News, citing a person with professional ties to ISP-M who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that he was arrested at Kunming airport. “He went there to attend a meeting,” another person close to the detained academic told the AFP news agency, according to CBS.

It remains unclear why Min Zin was detained or whether he was conducting research at the time.

“His family and colleagues are following up with the consulate office there,” the person close to him said, according to CBS. “I know his family is worried.”

The U.S. State Department told The New York Times it was aware of reports that a U.S. citizen had been detained in China. “Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained, we work to provide the appropriate consular assistance,” the department said, according to CBS and Al Jazeera.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington told The New York Times: “China is a country under the rule of law. All foreigners living and traveling in China must observe Chinese laws, and those who violate the law and commit crimes will be held legally accountable.”

Neither the State Department, ISP-M nor the Chinese Embassy in Washington immediately responded to CBS News requests for comment on the arrest.

Min Zin’s biography on the ISP-M website describes him as “a founding member and the Executive Director” of the think tank. Al Jazeera, citing an Instagram post from another policy group that hosted talks he joined in May, reported that he is also a PhD candidate in the Travers Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

ISP-M researches political, resource and conflict dynamics in Myanmar, which has been in civil war since a 2021 military coup ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. CBS reported that the group is based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, a hub for Myanmar political exiles, while Al Jazeera, citing The New York Times, said ISP-M is based in Yangon and has operated from different locations since the coup, with Min Zin spending time in Myanmar, the United States and Thailand, where he lives.

Some ISP-M publications examine Beijing’s influence along the China-Myanmar border, where CBS reported China is accused of supporting armed factions that align with its national interests. Analysts, including those at ISP-M, say China has at times backed both Myanmar’s ruling military and rebels fighting it, depending on Beijing’s economic and security interests.

Al Jazeera reported that Min Zin has previously written opinion pieces on Myanmar politics that were critical of both the military government and opposition groups.

The arrest comes as China’s Foreign Ministry announced that Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing is expected to visit China from June 15 to 19. It also follows President Donald Trump’s state visit to China in mid-May, which Al Jazeera said was part of Washington’s efforts to ease tensions from a tariff war. CBS reported that Trump called the visit “incredible” and said “a lot of good has come of it.”