US designates citizen held in China as 'wrongfully detained'

The United States on Thursday said it has designated a US citizen held in China on accusation of espionage as "wrongfully detained" and called for his release -- along with that of another American.

The designation raises the diplomatic stakes around the detention, coming a month before Chinese leader Xi Jinping visits President Donald Trump in Washington.

Min Zin, a political analyst at a policy think tank focusing on neighboring Myanmar, was taken into custody in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan on June 3, the US government said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio "has determined that US citizen Min Zin is wrongfully detained," said Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson. "There are now two wrongfully detained US citizens in China: Mr Zin and Dr Youlin Chen."

"We will continue to advocate for Mr Zin and call for the release of all US citizens who are arbitrarily detained or exit banned in China," Johnson said in the statement.

Johnson said Min Zin "had traveled to attend an academic conference at the invitation of the Chinese government" when he was detained.

The Chinese foreign ministry has said he was held "on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities that endanger China's national security."

- Walkover -

Min Zin is a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar (ISP-M), which researches the political, resource and conflict dynamics of Myanmar, a country plunged into civil war by a 2021 military coup.

Some ISP-M publications detail China's influence in the borderlands of Myanmar, where Beijing is accused of supporting both rebel factions and the military in pursuit of its interests.

The think tank is based in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, a hub for political exiles from Myanmar since the 2021 coup ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The junta ruled Myanmar directly for five years before staging tightly controlled polls -- backed by China -- that excluded Suu Kyi's party and delivered a walkover win for pro-military parties this year.

The Trump administration has sent mixed signals over policy toward China, with the two economic superpowers locked in a tense trade war, but Trump himself touting his warm ties to Xi.

Trump met with Xi at a summit in Beijing in May and is preparing the return visit with the communist leader at the White House.

China's human rights record is rarely criticized by the Trump administration, but tensions are growing on geopolitical issues, the latest being the US war against Chinese trade partner Iran.