Kenneth Glad
Separate cases involving foreign researchers have raised questions about legal representation and the basis for national security accusations. Chinese authorities have released limited information about the proceedings.
China is holding two US scholars in separate espionage cases: Nuclear-test specialist Chen Youlin and Myanmar researcher Min Zin.
Chen, a China-born American seismologist, has been detained since November 2024. Min Zin, the Myanmar-born executive director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar, was arrested in June 2026.
Beijing says both cases concern national security and maintains that its judicial authorities act according to Chinese law. Officials have not provided a detailed public account of the evidence against either man.
According to the BBC, Chen’s family spoke publicly after seeing no indication that Chinese authorities intended to release him.
Washington calls detention wrongful
Chen, 54, was taken into custody during a trip to Beijing to visit relatives. He became a US citizen in 2011 and was based in Boston before his detention.
He is currently the only US citizen held in China whom Washington formally classifies as wrongfully detained. The designation makes efforts to secure his release a stated US government priority.
Chen’s wife, seismologist Rong Yufang, rejects the espionage allegation. She says his work with Chinese and international researchers was conducted openly.
“I have not been able to speak with my husband for over 600 days and am concerned for his health and well-being,” Rong said in a statement released through Global Reach, a US advocacy organization, writes the Washington Post.
Reuters reported that Rong said investigators questioned Chen more than 100 times about his scientific work. She also said he was denied access to a lawyer during the first 13 months of his detention.
She described the allegations as “both wrong and inconsistent with the public and collaborative nature of the work that he has done”.
Research focused on nuclear monitoring
Chen analyzes seismic signals to identify underground explosions. The work can help researchers distinguish nuclear tests from earthquakes and estimate the strength of a detonation.
Much of his published research concerns North Korea’s nuclear-testing program. He also participated in projects funded by the US government.
The BBC reports that a study published in December 2020 examined monitoring data collected across Asia, including China, to improve nuclear-test detection and yield estimates.
Authorities have not explained whether that research forms part of the case against him or whether his work touched directly on China’s nuclear program.
Global Reach has suggested, according to the CNN, without presenting public evidence, that investigators may be interested in Chen’s knowledge of US seismic-detection methods. The group has also raised the possibility that the arrest relates to American suspicions about Chinese nuclear-testing activity.
A 2020 US State Department report raised concerns that China may have conducted a low-yield nuclear test at Lop Nur. Beijing rejected the allegation as unfounded and politically motivated.
China and the United States have both signed but not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Each country maintains a voluntary moratorium on explosive nuclear tests.
Beijing dismisses US criticism
Asked about Chen’s case, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said judicial authorities handle cases in accordance with the law.
“There is no such thing as so-called wrongful detention,” Lin said.
The Foley Foundation says that Chen has diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Those medical conditions have not been independently confirmed.
The organization said his imprisonment may prevent him from receiving consistent treatment.
“He needs reliable access to treatment and care that is not available while he is unjustly incarcerated,” the foundation said.
US Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, warned in a published statement that Chen’s treatment could discourage researchers from working with colleagues in China.
Chinese authorities have not publicly explained the current stage of Chen’s case, the evidence supporting the espionage charge or whether a trial date has been set.
Min Zin arrested in Kunming
China confirmed Min Zin’s detention in June 2026, roughly a month before Chen’s family renewed public attention on his case.
Min Zin leads the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar, an independent think tank based in Thailand. Its research covers Myanmar’s politics, economy, international relations and China’s influence in the country.
The BBC reported that Chinese authorities suspect him of espionage and endangering national security. The available official statements do not identify the conduct behind those accusations.
AFP reported that Min Zin was detained at Kunming airport on June 3 after traveling to the city for a meeting.
ISP-Myanmar said he entered China solely to attend an academic workshop and called for his immediate and unconditional release. The organization’s description of the detention as wrongful is separate from the formal US government designation applied to Chen.
A source said Min Zin’s relatives were “worried” and had contacted the US consulate in Guangzhou.
Career shaped by Myanmar politics
Min Zin took part in Myanmar’s 1988 pro-democracy movement before fleeing military rule. He later studied in the United States and returned to Myanmar in 2010.
More recently, he has lived mainly in Thailand while continuing his research on Myanmar’s political development, regional relations and China’s expanding role in the country.
He had been scheduled to speak at a conference in Kathmandu later in June, according to the BBC.
The cases against the two scholars remain legally distinct. Chen has been held on an espionage charge since November 2024, while public information about Min Zin’s case remains limited to China’s announcement that he is suspected of spying and endangering national security.
Both cases remain opaque, with Chinese authorities releasing little information about the allegations, the legal proceedings or the men’s access to counsel.
Sources: BBC, Reuters, AFP, ISP-Myanmar, CNN, Washington Post
