Family of Detained US Scholar Appeals to Trump Ahead of High-Stakes Summit With Xi Jinping

The spouse of an American academic currently imprisoned in China on national security and espionage allegations has formally appealed to President Donald Trump, urging him to negotiate her husband’s release during an upcoming high-level meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House.

U Min Zin, who serves as the head of an independent research organization focused on Myanmar, was taken into custody by Chinese authorities on June 3. His arrest occurred shortly after he arrived in the southwestern city of Kunming to participate in an academic conference.

The appeal comes as Washington prepares to host the Chinese leader for a formal state visit on Wednesday. The scheduled diplomatic gathering follows an earlier bilateral meeting in Beijing this past May, when President Xi hosted his American counterpart for comprehensive talks.

Ahead of the diplomatic summit, relatives of individuals held in Chinese custody have traveled to Washington to lobby government leaders. On Wednesday, Sylvia Zin presented testimony on Capitol Hill before the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee during a hearing titled "Lives, Not Leverage: The Long Arm of China and North Korea's Repression."

During the congressional proceedings, Zin expressed her profound hope that President Trump will directly confront President Xi regarding her husband's ongoing imprisonment. She emphasized her confidence in the administration, noting that the president’s established record of securing the return of wrongfully detained Americans provides reassurance that a swift resolution can be achieved for her husband and others.

In addition to her husband's plight, Zin highlighted the situation facing Chen Youlin, a fellow American seismologist who monitors nuclear test activities. Chen has remained incarcerated within the Chinese penal system for two years under similar circumstances.

Opening the hearing, Representative Young Kim, who chairs the subcommittee, delivered a blunt warning regarding travel to China, cautioning citizens that Beijing is willing to seize foreign nationals as bargaining chips to gain leverage in bilateral diplomatic negotiations.

The lawmaker directly connected Min Zin’s capture to the broader geopolitical climate, arguing that Chinese authorities deliberately detained the scholar prior to the presidential summit to issue a warning to researchers whose academic findings and investigations create discomfort for Beijing.

Min Zin has a long history of political and academic engagement, having first emerged as a prominent student activist during Myanmar’s 1988 pro-democracy uprising. He currently leads the Myanmar Institute for Strategic and Policy Studies, widely known as ISP-Myanmar, a dedicated think tank that examines Beijing’s strategic interests, diplomatic relations, and broader regional influence across Myanmar.

The congressional hearing also featured appearances from other affected families seeking White House intervention, including the son of imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai. President Trump had previously raised Lai’s case directly with President Xi, later recounting to members of the press that the Chinese leader remarked securing Lai's release would be a tough undertaking.

Last month, the US Department of State took a significant formal step by classifying both Min Zin and Chen Youlin as "wrongfully detained" by the Chinese government.

This official classification is crucial within the American diplomatic framework, as it formally shifts oversight of the cases to the Office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Such a transition significantly elevates the diplomatic profile of the detainees and authorizes the US government to dedicate expanded resources toward negotiating their freedom.

Providing personal insight into the ordeal, Sylvia Zin, who currently resides in Thailand, informed lawmakers that she has been entirely unable to communicate directly with her husband since his arrest. She explained that her family is forced to rely entirely on monthly consular updates to confirm that he remains alive.

Zin further revealed that American officials briefed her on the harsh conditions of his initial confinement, disclosing that Min Zin was subjected to intensive interrogation sessions lasting up to six hours each day upon his arrival at the detention facility. She spoke of the personal strain of remaining resilient for their young daughter while constantly striving to secure his return.

Precedent exists for positive diplomatic outcomes following direct presidential appeals during bilateral talks between the two world leaders. During their previous formal meeting, President Trump advocated for the release of Jin Mingri, a prominent leader of an underground Christian church in China, who was subsequently granted his freedom two months after the request was made.

Addressing the impending summit and the appeals from detainee families, a senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, reaffirmed that resolving the wrongful detentions of American citizens abroad consistently stands as a foremost priority for the president.