Min Zin, a US citizen and Myanmar-born political scholar, was arrested by Chinese authorities on June 3 at Kunming airport in Yunnan province on suspicion of espionage and endangering China’s national security, Chinese officials confirmed on June 12 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, “Min Zin has been placed under criminal detention by the relevant authorities in accordance with the law on suspicion of engaging in espionage and endangering China’s national security” [2]. The US consulate in Guangzhou has been notified and is providing consular assistance, the ministry said [2]. The US State Department acknowledged awareness of the detention but declined further comment citing privacy laws [1].
Min Zin, formerly a Myanmar student activist during the 1988 democracy movement, holds US citizenship and was a PhD candidate in political science at the University of California, Berkeley [1, 2, 4, 5, 6]. He is executive director and co-founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar (ISP-M), a think tank focused on Myanmar's politics, resources, and conflict dynamics [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. ISP-M relocated operations abroad following Myanmar’s 2021 military coup. Min Zin has lived in Myanmar, the US, and Thailand, researching Chinese influence and internal conflicts in Myanmar [1, 2, 4, 5, 7].
Min Zin disappeared on June 3 after arriving in Kunming to attend a conference at the invitation of a Chinese university, an unnamed Burmese activist said. He was not involved in direct activism work at the time [4]. Min Zin’s family and colleagues remain in contact with the US consulate in Guangzhou and have expressed concern for his wellbeing [7].
China reportedly detains about 200 American citizens under various legal circumstances, but Min Zin is the only known US citizen held on national security or espionage grounds at this time, human rights expert John Kamm said [1, 5, 6]. He noted that human rights issues do not appear to be a priority in US-China relations currently [1].
The arrest comes amid heightened US-China tensions despite recent diplomatic contacts, including US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing in May 2026 and a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington in September 2026 [2, 4, 5, 6]. Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to visit China from June 15 to 19, marking his first state visit since taking office [8, 5, 6, 7].
