A US academic who writes about Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy was arrested by authorities in China on suspicion of spying, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
The academic, Min Zin, was suspected of “engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian (林劍) said.
It is uncommon for Beijing to arrest a US citizen on national security allegations. The case comes just a month after US President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing as the two countries aim to reset a tumultuous relationship.
Photo: AP
A Burmese activist who knows Min Zin said he disappeared on Wednesday last week after going to Kunming, China, for a conference.
Min Zin had visited China multiple times before, the activist who spoke on condition of anonymity added.
The US Department of State confirmed Min Zin, a US citizen, was detained during a trip to Yunnan Province in China.
“US consular officers have visited him, and the Department of State is providing all appropriate consular assistance,” it said. “We are engaged with Chinese officials on this case.”
Min Zin was a student activist in Myanmar’s 1988 uprising, a student-led movement that the government at the time reacted to with military force. He eventually sought asylum in the US. He was not engaged in any direct activism work currently.
Min Zin is the founder of think tank ISP Myanmar, which over the past few years has written about Chinese foreign policy and trade with Myanmar. The think tank was involved in regular exchanges with Chinese think tanks, and had published on issues such as Myanmar’s rare earth exports to China.
Amnesty International has called for Min Zin’s immediate release.
“The circumstances around Min Zin’s mysterious arrest are extremely concerning, as is the apparent charge of espionage,” group Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman said.
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