Washington, D.C. (Diplomat.so) - The U.S. State Department on Thursday, August 20, designated American Myanmar scholar Min Zin as wrongfully detained in China, escalating pressure on Beijing to release him ahead of September talks.
The designation raises the diplomatic profile of Min Zin’s case as Washington presses Chinese authorities over Americans held in the country. The move comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the United States in September, placing detention cases among sensitive issues in bilateral relations.
Dylan Johnson, a senior State Department official, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had determined after a review that Min Zin was wrongfully detained. Johnson said Washington now considers two U.S. citizens — Min Zin and seismologist Youlin Chen — to be wrongfully detained in China.
"We will continue to advocate for Min Zin and call for the release of all U.S. nationals wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China,” Johnson said, outlining Washington’s position on the cases.
Min Zin was detained on June 3 after traveling to Kunming in China’s southwestern Yunnan province for an academic gathering. People familiar with his trip said he had traveled at the invitation of a Chinese academic institution. His detention subsequently prompted concern among colleagues, researchers and members of Myanmar-focused policy circles.
China has rejected suggestions that the detention lacks a legal basis. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in June that Min Zin was suspected of "engaging in espionage and endangering China’s national security.” Beijing said the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou had been informed and maintained that his lawful rights were being protected.
Min Zin is a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar, a research organization operating from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Its work examines Myanmar’s politics, armed conflict, resources and relations with neighboring China. Min Zin has also studied political science at the University of California, Berkeley, and has written extensively about Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy.
His research is particularly relevant to Yunnan, which borders Myanmar and serves as an important corridor for trade and Chinese strategic interests. Myanmar has faced prolonged armed conflict since the military seized power from the elected government in February 2021, with China maintaining significant political and economic interests across the border.
The wrongful-detention designation gives Washington a formal basis for intensified diplomatic engagement on Min Zin’s case. It also adds another sensitive issue to a U.S.-China relationship already shaped by disputes over trade, security and regional influence.
Johnson said the United States would continue seeking the release of Americans it considers wrongfully detained, signaling that Min Zin’s case is likely to remain on Washington’s diplomatic agenda as high-level engagement with Beijing continues.
