A month after Donald Trump told the Chinese leader that Americans were carrying out espionage against the country, a scholar affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley – who fled Myanmar in the 1990s – was taken into custody in China on suspicion of spying.
Min Zin, an American political scientist and Myanmar specialist associated with UC Berkeley, was picked up by Chinese authorities.
According to available information, the scholar is a longstanding activist for Myanmar’s pro‑democracy movement. He left the country in the 1990s after taking part in the 1988 pro‑democracy uprising and subsequently went on to receive asylum in the United States. He is reportedly serving as executive director of the Myanmar Institute for Political Studies and has worked over the years in the U.S., Myanmar, and Thailand.
He is also a Ph.D. candidate in political science at UC Berkeley, where his research centers on civil‑military relations and political transitions. He has put out a considerable body of work on post‑coup conflict in Myanmar and on China’s role in the region.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Min Zin was arrested on suspicion of espionage activities endangering national security. The detention came on the heels of a report last month claiming that President Trump had recently informed Chinese officials that both countries were carrying out reciprocal spying and cyber operations, underscoring that Americans were spying on them as well.
The U.S. State Department confirmed it was aware of Mr. Zin’s detention and said it was providing him with consular assistance. Chinese authorities reiterated that foreigners in China are required to abide by local laws.
At present, around 200 U.S. citizens are being held or have their movements restricted in China.