China arrests a U.S. scholar with a history of Myanmar activism, suspected of spying

Passengers seen arriving in 2022 at Kunming Changshui International Airport, in China's southwestern Yunnan province, where U.S. citizen Min Zin was said to be detained last week, according to people familiar with the arrest. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — China has arrested a U.S. citizen on suspicion of spying, the Chinese government said Friday.

Min Zin, who heads a think tank focused on his native country of Myanmar, was detained on arrival at Kunming airport in China's southwest Yunnan province on June 3, according to sources including diplomats in the region who are familiar with the arrest. They spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, which they were not authorized to discuss.

The sources said Min Zin had gone to Kunming at the invitation of a Chinese academic institution.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in a news conference Friday that Min Zin was detained on suspicion of engaging in "espionage and endangering Chinese national security."

The U.S. State Department confirmed that it is "aware of reports regarding a U.S. citizen detained in China" but did not provide further details. "The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans. Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained, we work to provide the appropriate consular assistance," it said in a statement to NPR.

The arrest comes a few weeks after the Beijing summit between President Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping aimed at easing tensions between the two competing powers. It also took place ahead of next week's state visit to China by Myanmar's president, Min Aung Hlaing.

Min Zin was a student activist in the 1988 democracy movement in Myanmar, then called Burma, eventually leaving for exile before returning to the country in 2013 during its brief period of political openness.