měi guó美国xué zhě学者mǐn xīn敏辛zài在zhōng guó中国bèi被guān yā关押
Min Xin, a Myanmar-born American scholar, has long studied issues related to Myanmar.
In June 2026, he flew from Thailand to Kunming to attend an academic conference.
After the plane landed, he told his family that he had arrived safely, but they soon lost contact with him.
The Chinese government later said that he was detained because he might have taken part in activities endangering China’s national security.
The U.S. government, however, believes that he has been unlawfully detained and has demanded that China release him.
Min Xin’s younger brother said that Min Xin is being held alone in an unknown location and is questioned for four to six hours every day. On one day, the questioning even lasted sixteen hours.
U.S. officials have visited him three times. They believe that although he has some health issues, he is in fairly good physical and mental condition and remains strong.
His family said that Min Xin’s research mainly concerns Myanmar, and that all of his research findings are public.
He went to China to exchange ideas with Chinese scholars and look for ways to solve Myanmar’s problems.
His family does not understand the allegations against him and hopes that he will soon be free and return to his wife and daughter.