BEIJING, China (AFP) — China said Friday it was holding a United States citizen accused of espionage, identifying the man as a political analyst at a policy think tank focusing on neighboring Myanmar.
Min Zin, founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar (ISP-M), “has been subjected to criminal compulsory measures,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a news briefing.
Authorities are holding him “on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security,” he said, without providing further details.
The ISP-M researches the political, resource and conflict dynamics of Myanmar, which was plunged into civil war by a 2021 military coup.
It is not clear whether Min Zin was conducting research at the time he was apprehended by Chinese authorities.
A person with professional ties to ISP-M, speaking anonymously because of the case’s sensitivity, told Agence France-Presse Min Zin was arrested on 3 June at Kunming airport in China’s Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar.
“He went there to attend a meeting,” said another person with a close relationship to the detained academic, also speaking on condition of anonymity.
Chinese authorities said the US consulate in Guangzhou had been notified of Zin Min’s case.
“His family and colleagues are following up with the consulate office there,” the source close to Zin Min told AFP. “I know his family is worried.”
Neither the US State Department nor the ISP-M have responded to a request for comment.
