China rejects US claim over detention of Myanmar analyst

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China has rejected a US decision to classify the detention of Myanmar scholar and US citizen Min Zin as wrongful, saying he is suspected of activities that threaten China’s national security.

China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the country follows the rule of law and that there was no such thing as “wrongful detention”. A ministry spokesman said Min Zin had allegedly violated Chinese law by engaging in activities endangering national security.

The US State Department designated Min Zin’s detention as wrongful on Thursday, making securing his release a priority for Washington.

Min Zin, who heads a think tank focused on Myanmar, was arrested on June 3 after travelling to China’s Yunnan province to attend an academic conference at the invitation of the Chinese government.

The US State Department said the safety and security of American citizens was its top priority and that it would continue to call for Min Zin’s release and that of other US citizens it considers arbitrarily detained or subject to exit bans in China.

Min Zin helped establish the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar, which studies the political, economic and resource-related aspects of Myanmar’s civil war following the military coup in 2021.

His detention comes amid broader tensions between China and the United States over trade, regional conflicts and other issues. The dispute also comes weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit the White House on September 24.

China has strong influence in neighbouring Myanmar and supports the country’s military administration.

Min Zin is the second US citizen to be designated as wrongfully detained in China, following Chinese American seismologist Youlin Chen, who was arrested by Chinese authorities in 2024.

Chen’s wife, Yufang Rong, said the US designation showed that the detainees’ freedom was a priority for the Trump administration.