China arrested U.S. citizen U Min Zin on suspicion of espionage, the Chinese government confirmed Friday, identifying him as a political analyst for a think tank focused on Myanmar.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said U Min Zin "has faced 'criminal compulsory measures,'" and that authorities are holding him on suspicion "of engaging in espionage and endangering China's national security," Lin said during a briefing on Friday.
U Min Zin is a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar, which the think tank says researches political, resource and conflict dynamics in Myanmar, a country the article says was plunged into civil war by a 2021 military coup.
A person with professional ties to ISP-M, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the case, said U Min Zin was arrested on June 3 at Kunming airport in Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, and another person close to him said, "He went there to attend a meeting."
Chinese authorities said the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou had been notified, and the second source said, "His family and colleagues are following up with the consulate office there," adding, "I know his family is worried." Neither the U.S. State Department, nor the ISP-M, nor the Chinese Embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment on the arrest.
The State Department said, "We are aware of reports regarding a U.S. citizen detained in China." It added, "Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained, we work to provide the appropriate consular assistance."
The Chinese Embassy in Washington said, "China is a country under the rule of law. All foreigners living and traveling in China must observe Chinese laws, and those who violate the law and commit crimes will be held legally accountable."
The ISP-M is based in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, a hub for political exiles from Myanmar since the coup ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, and the article says analysts including those at ISP-M say China has intermittently backed both Myanmar's ruling military and the rebels that military is battling, depending on its varying economic and security interests; the arrest came only a few weeks after President Trump attended a summit in Beijing with China's President Xi Jinping, which Mr. Trump called an "incredible visit" and said "a lot of good has come of it."