US Scholar Detained in China Ahead of Trump-Xi White House Meeting
US citizen and Myanmar scholar Min Zin has been declared wrongfully detained in Yunnan after disappearing on June 3, just before President Trump’s planned summit with President Xi.
Min Zin, a US citizen originally from Myanmar who researches democracy and ethnic conflict, disappeared on June 3 after landing in Kunming to attend a Yunnan-hosted economic-cooperation workshop. The US Consulate in Guangzhou informed his wife that he was detained in Yunnan on accusations of endangering Chinese national security. The State Department subsequently declared his detention wrongful, citing an extensive review and noting he is being held under “residential surveillance,” a practice criticized by the United Nations.
Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu Chang said the investigation respects his legal rights. Officials anticipate that President Trump will bring Zin’s case, together with that of Dr Youlin Chen, to the agenda of his September 24 White House meeting with President Xi. Family reports indicate Zin is in a windowless room, questioned daily, and experiencing knee pain but otherwise in good health.
Why it matters
It highlights growing tensions over the treatment of US citizens in China ahead of a high-level diplomatic summit.
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