Communist Country Arrests US Citizen For Alleged Espionage
China arrested a U.S. citizen and scholar for alleged espionage, a Chinese government spokesman confirmed Friday in a briefing.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said U Min Zin, an Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar (ISP-M) founder, faces “criminal compulsory measures,” according to CBS News. Min Zin is being held on allegations “of engaging in espionage and endangering China’s national security,” Lin added.
Min Zin was reportedly apprehended June 3 in Kunming, a city in Yunnan province near Myanmar, according to The New York Times (NYT). An individual with professional ties to the ISP-M told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Min Zin was arrested June 3 at the Kunming airport, CBS News reported.
Another individual with a close relationship to the man in custody anonymously told AFP that Min Zin had traveled to participate in a meeting, according to the outlet. “His family and colleagues are following up with the consulate office there. I know his family is worried,” the individual said.
NEW: China arrested a US citizen after Trump met with Xi in Beijing and accused him of endangering national security — a rare charge against an American. The detainee, U Min Zin, is a grad student at @UCBerkeley who researches Myanmar. This adds a new strain to US-China ties. pic.twitter.com/7XsRWsDgHH
— Edward Wong (@ewong) June 12, 2026
Min Zin was a student activist when a movement pushed for democracy in Myanmar in 1988, according to the BBC. He reportedly went to Thailand to escape arrest and later studied in the U.S. before returning to Myanmar in 2010. Min Zin had most recently resided in Thailand, according to the NYT. He has produced essays on Myanmar politics for the outlet’s opinion section. (Read more from “Communist Country Arrests US Citizen For Alleged Espionage” HERE)
