The U.S. government has declared Min Zin, a Myanmar scholar who holds U.S. citizenship, to be wrongfully detained after his detention by Chinese security services in early June, a senior State Department official told Reuters. The designation elevates efforts to obtain his release to a top U.S. priority.
According to the official, Min Zin was taken into custody on June 3 in Yunnan province after traveling to China on an invitation from the Chinese government to attend an academic conference in Kunming. The official said he was detained inside the airport.
"U.S. citizen Min Zin has been detained by Chinese security services on undefined charges since June 3. For nearly 11 weeks, he has been subjected to repeated interrogations, isolation and detention conditions," the official said on Thursday.
After reviewing his file, the official added: "After careful review of Min Zin’s case, the secretary of state has decided to designate him as wrongfully detained," the official said, referring to Marco Rubio.
The designation comes weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to receive Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. Rights organizations have urged U.S. officials to press China for Min Zin's release in advance of Xi's anticipated September 24 visit.
The official provided a sequence of events that underscored the abruptness of Min Zin's disappearance. He said that as Min Zin arrived in Yunnan, colleagues and family were communicating with him by phone about his arrival and plans in China - and then communication suddenly ceased. "One minute his colleagues and family were engaging with him on the phone - exchanging updates on his arrival time and plans in China - and the next minute communication was lost. For 48 hours, his loved ones did not know where he had gone, if he was alive, or who could have taken him," the official recounted.
Yunnan authorities ultimately informed the U.S. embassy that Min Zin was under criminal investigation for "endangering (China’s) national security," the official said.
Min Zin leads a think tank focused on Myanmar and had previously lived in Thailand while spending time in the United States and Myanmar. The official noted that he held a valid Chinese visa that he had used on prior trips to attend academic conferences.
Advocates for Min Zin - including some former officials from the previous U.S. administration - have urged President Trump to raise the scholar's case in communications with Chinese leaders. Rights groups have expressed particular concern that Min Zin's detention could be part of a broader pattern and have called for U.S. pressure on China to secure his release.
The official also called on China to free other Americans held by Beijing. In addition to Min Zin, the official cited Youlin Chen, a Chinese-born American seismologist based in Boston, as another U.S. citizen detained by China on what the United States considers unfounded charges. Chen has been declared wrongfully detained by U.S. authorities.
"The safety and security of U.S. citizens globally is President Trump’s top priority, and the president has been clear that China must treat U.S. citizens with respect - and those wrongfully detained or under exit bans must be released," the official said.
Human rights groups report a wide range in the number of Americans they consider unjustly detained in China, estimating figures that span from about a dozen to several hundred, with the count including cases involving coercive exit bans. Chinese authorities maintain that they handle such matters in accordance with law and deny that wrongful detention occurs in the country.
Rights advocates have long warned that China has used detention of foreign nationals as leverage in diplomatic contexts, a tactic they describe as "hostage diplomacy." Some advocates say Min Zin’s case has alarmed scholars who fear entrapment and detention during travel to China.
Min Zin’s background includes participation in Myanmar’s 1988 democracy movement as a former student activist. He studied political science at the University of California, Berkeley and helped found the Institute for Strategy and Policy. The institute was originally based inside Myanmar but relocated overseas after the 2021 military takeover, when the military removed the democratically elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The official noted that China has publicly supported Myanmar’s new administration, which came to power following a vote that was widely criticized because it excluded major opposition groups including the political party of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Context and procedural notes
The designation of a U.S. citizen as wrongfully detained is a formal step that signals a prioritization of diplomatic and consular efforts to secure a citizen’s release. In this case, U.S. officials have emphasized concern over the conditions Min Zin has faced since his detention and have called on China to resolve his case.
For now, details about the nature of the investigation in China beyond the charge of "endangering national security" have not been disclosed by Chinese authorities, and the U.S. account is based on information provided by the senior State Department official.