US to raise case of detained Myanmar scholar at summit with Chinese President

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a press conference in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday that President Donald Trump is expected to raise the cases of wrongfully detained Americans when hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington, D.C., this week. “The case of unlawfully and wrongfully detained Americans is always raised not just at our meetings, but in any engagement that we have and in our communications with any country around the world,” Rubio said, ahead of President Xi’s scheduled arrival to Washington, DC, on Sept. 23. Two U.S. citizens—Min Zin,a scholar of Myanmar politics, and Youlin Chena, a Chinese-born American seismologist—have been listed by the State Department as wrongfully detained in China. On Sept. 16, Min Zin’s wife made a direct plea to President Trump to secure her husband’s release during his meeting with President Xi. “Knowing the president’s historic record on bringing wrongfully detained Americans home has reassured me that he will also be able to secure the swift release of Min Zin and other wrongfully detained American citizens,” Sylvia Zin said during a congressional hearing. Min Zin, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was taken into custody by Chinese authorities on June 3, while attending an academic workshop in Kunming, Yunnan Province. The Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP-Myanmar) issued a public statement on Sept. 11 marking 100 days since Min Zin was detained by China. The independent think tank co-founded by Min Zin in Myanmar in 2016 warned that his ongoing detention severely risks damaging Beijing’s long-term diplomatic strategy and people-to-people relations with Myanmar. “Min Zin is a scholar of international regard who is widely respected for his depth of knowledge, his analytical abilities, and his eagerness to engage in dialogue,” the Scholars at Risk Network stated on Aug. 27. Chinese authorities have accused Min Zin of “engaging in espionage” and “endangering national security”—charges strongly rejected by his family, ISP-Myanmar, and international advocacy groups such as Human Rights Watch and Fortify Rights.