China has arrested Min Zin, a US academic and PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, on suspicion of espionage. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, confirmed on Friday that Min Zin is suspected of “engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security.”
Min Zin, who writes about Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy, disappeared on 3 June after attending a conference in Kunming, Yunnan province. A Burmese activist, speaking anonymously for fear of arrest, said Min Zin had visited China many times before.
The arrest is unusual for Beijing, which rarely detains US citizens on national security allegations. It comes just a month after US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, as the two countries seek to reset their strained relations.
Min Zin was a student activist in Myanmar’s 1988 uprising, which was met with military force. He later sought asylum in the US and founded ISP Myanmar, a thinktank that has published reports on Chinese foreign policy and trade with Myanmar, including rare-earth exports.
