U.S. designates American held by China as wrongfully detained

The State Department says Myanmar scholar Min Zin was detained at the airport after he traveled to Yunnan, China, in June on the invitation of the Chinese government.

The US State Department said on Thursday that it had determined after a detailed investigation that Min Zin, an American political analyst of Chinese descent detained by Beijing last month, was being improperly held. That formal designation shifts the case from a State Department consular issue to one handled by its pr

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that U.S. citizen Min Zin is being wrongfully detained in China after he was arrested there.

The Trump administration designated Min Zin as wrongfully detained in China weeks before President Donald Trump is set to host Xi Jinping at the White House.

The designation for Min Zin, who is accused of endangering Chinese national security, comes just weeks before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to the US.

Min Zin is the second American academic to be designated as wrongfully detained in recent months.

EXCLUSIVE: US designates American held by China as wrongfully detained  Reuters

Rights groups have urged the US to press China for the release of Min Zin.