UC Berkeley doctoral student accused of espionage, Chinese authorities say
Chinese authorities said they arrested a Northern California academic earlier this month, accusing him of espionage and endangering national security.
According to a news report, U Min Zin was detained at Kunming Changshui International Airport in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province on June 3. New York Times report. Details of the arrest are not yet known. Zin was traveling for academic purposes.
The Times newspaper said that at a press conference earlier this week, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that the US Consulate General in Guangzhou had been notified of Zin’s arrest.
The arrest came later President Trump met with Xi Jinping in China to stabilize US-China relations manage disputes On Taiwan, Iran and regional security.
“We are aware of reports that a U.S. citizen has been detained in China,” a State Department official said. he told SFGATE. “When a U.S. citizen is detained, we work to provide appropriate consular assistance. However, in accordance with federal privacy law, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
Zin is currently a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also earned a Master’s degree in Political Science and Government. LinkedIn page. According to him, his work centers around Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy. published works.
He is the founder and executive director. ISP MyanmarA Thailand-based think tank focusing on Myanmar and regional policy issues. Zin was also a student activist in Burma’s 1988 democracy movement. Democracy Magazine.
His activism got him expelled from high school and he went into hiding to avoid arrest. 2008 interview. He fled to Thailand in 1997 and worked as a journalist for years, later writing for publications such as the New York Times and Foreign Policy.
“If I could go back home today, I would,” Zin told the Jakarta Post in 2008. “I am from Burma. My family is there. I want to dedicate myself to good journalism and education because I realize that education is the key to developing Burma.”
At age 35, he applied to UC Berkeley. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment, adding that a “records check is ongoing.”
