The United States Department of State, headed by Marco Rubio, has included in its list of detentions considered "arbitrary" the case of Min Zin, an academic and American citizen. Zin, who runs a political studies center based in Myanmar, was arrested by Chinese authorities last June on charges of espionage.
"Secretary Rubio has concluded that American citizen Min Zin is being arbitrarily detained in China. This conclusion arises after a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding his detention on June 3 in Yunnan, China, where he had traveled to attend an academic conference at the invitation of the Chinese government," it stated in a statement.
U.S. diplomacy has emphasized that "the safety of American citizens" is its "top priority." "We will continue to advocate for Zin and demand the release of all American citizens who are arbitrarily detained or who have been prohibited from leaving China," the Department of State specified.
In the same message, Washington has also requested Beijing to release Youlin Chen, a Chinese-American nuclear seismologist based in Boston, known for his work on North Korea's underground nuclear tests and who had worked as a contractor for the Department itself.
Zin, last seen in the city of Kunming, near the border with Myanmar, was detained "on suspicion of participating in espionage and endangering China's national security" a few days before the leader of the Burmese military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, met in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The academic heads the Institute for Strategy and Policy - Myanmar (ISP-M, for its acronym in English), a think tank focused on analyzing the conflict that has plagued the country since the coup led by the general in February 2021.
In parallel, U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to host the Chinese leader at the White House on September 24. The situation of American citizens imprisoned in China has become a particularly delicate issue for the American leader, who has addressed this matter with Xi in their recent personal meetings.