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US Researcher Min Zin Arrested in China Over Espionage Charges

Chinese authorities say Min Zin was detained on espionage suspicion after a rare arrest of a U.S. citizen for national security reasons.

  • On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian confirmed that U.S. researcher Min Zin has been detained in Kunming on suspicion of espionage and endangering China's national security.
  • A former activist in Myanmar's 1988 democracy movement, Zin is the executive director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy - Myanmar, which he helped found in 2016 after studying political science at University of California, Berkeley.
  • According to people familiar with the matter cited by the New York Times, Zin was arrested on June 3 in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, where his think-tank research focused on Myanmar's political landscape and the 2021 military coup.
  • China's detention of Zin marks a rare move against a U.S. citizen for national security crimes; the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou was notified, though the U.S. State Department has yet to comment on the matter.
  • Coming weeks after President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing to stabilize trade relations, observers suggest Zin's detention may test the fragile truce between the world's two biggest economies.
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In the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, a U.S. citizen is arrested at the beginning of June. According to the "New York Times", he is a political scientist and has also written articles for the newspaper. Beijing's foreign secretary mentions details of the allegations.

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China Confirms Arrest of American Citizen on Spying Charges

·New York, United States
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The Hamilton Spectator broke the news in Hamilton, Canada on Friday, June 12, 2026.
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