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US labels Min Zin wrongfully detained in China, escalating diplomatic row
The State Department said it made the determination after a review of Zin’s June 3 detention in Yunnan, and said the case now moves to the presidential office for hostage affairs.
The United States has determined that American political analyst Min Zin, who was detained in China last month, is being improperly held, the State Department said Thursday.
In a release attributed to Assistant State Secretary Dylan Johnson, the agency said Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the decision after an extensive review of the circumstances surrounding Zin’s June 3 detention in Yunnan, where he had traveled to attend an academic conference at China’s invitation.
The formal designation shifts the case from a routine State Department consular matter to an effort handled by the presidential office dealing with hostage affairs, according to the State Department.
The announcement adds to tensions between the two countries ahead of a scheduled summit in Washington between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, the outlet noted, and the department cited a separate prior wrongful detention designation involving China, Youlin Chen, a seismologist arrested in November 2024.