China Arrests Us Citizen On Espionage Charges Just Weeks After Trump Trip

China's overseas ministry confirmed connected Friday nan apprehension of Min Zin, a U.S. national starring a Myanmar-focused deliberation tank, connected suspicion of espionage and endangering Chinese nationalist security.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated, "It is understood that Min Zin has been placed nether criminal detention by nan applicable authorities successful accordance pinch nan rule connected suspicion of engaging successful espionage and endangering China’s nationalist security."

China has notified nan U.S. consulate wide successful Guangzhou of nan arrest.

Min Zin, executive head of nan Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP) - Myanmar, was detained aft arriving successful Kunming, southwest China.

Three anonymous sources confirmed his apprehension, pinch 1 noting, "Min Zin was arrested astatine Kunming airdrome astir 2 weeks ago," and declining to supply further details.

The U.S. State Department and ISP-Myanmar did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

The detention comes arsenic nan U.S. and China are moving to dependable their frayed bilateral narration pursuing President Donald Trump's sojourn to Beijing past month.

A erstwhile student activistic successful Myanmar's 1988 populist movement, Min Zin studied governmental subject astatine nan University of California, Berkeley.

He co-founded nan ISP, which moved overseas aft nan 2021 coup erstwhile nan subject ousted Nobel Peace Prize victor Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government.

The coup plunged Myanmar into a prolonged civilian war, a conflict intimately tracked by Min Zin's ISP.

The deliberation tank's caller publications person focused connected Myanmar's governmental transition, including junta main Min Aung Hlaing's presidency aft a military-engineered election, and nan country's failing economy.

China has publically backed Myanmar's caller administration, which took agency aft a wide criticized ballot that excluded awesome guidance groups, including Suu Kyi's governmental party.