On June 3, 2026, Chinese authorities arrested U Min Zin, a scholar of political science, while he was traveling for academic purposes.
Zin, a U.S. citizen, was a student activist during the 1988 Myanmar pro-democracy movement. He holds a master’s degree in Asian studies and political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and, though not currently enrolled, advanced to Ph.D. candidacy in 2011. His research interests include civil-military relations, democratization, and ethnic conflicts. In 2016, Zin co-founded the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar), an independent think tank that relocated overseas following the 2021 military coup that ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Since the coup, ISP-Myanmar has closely analyzed conflict dynamics during the subsequent civil war, as well as broader political transitions and governance. The institute operates a dedicated China Desk that publishes detailed analyses of Chinese infrastructure investments in Myanmar.
In early June 2026, Zin disappeared while traveling to an academic engagement in Kunming, located in China’s southwestern Yunnan province. His family did not know where he was for approximately 48 hours. On June 12, 2026, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a press briefing that Zin had been detained on suspicion of “engaging in espionage and endangering Chinese national security.” Such detentions of U.S. citizens are rare in China.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the detention of a scholar in apparent retaliation for his exercising the right to academic freedom. State authorities must refrain from restricting or otherwise interfering in the nonviolent exercise of such rights. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, such incidents have a chilling effect on academic freedom and undermine democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/12/nx-s1-5856394/china-arrest-us-citizen-myanmar
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-confirms-arrest-us-citizen-suspected-spying-2026-06-12/
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/us/politics/china-arrests-us-scholar.html?smid=url-share
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-06-13/uc-berkeley-doctoral-student-accused-of-espionage-chinese-authorities-says
https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/chinese-authorities-arrest-american-myanmar-researcher-for-alleged-espionage/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/12/china-arrests-us-academic-min-zin-espionage
https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/chinese-authorities-arrest-uc-berkeley-alumnus-and-academic-on-suspicion-of-espionage/article_e076244c-4c3a-47b2-8c98-42d91bb76fc5.html