The brother of an American scholar detained in China welcomed the news Thursday that he was declared wrongfully detained, saying he hopes that it will help lead to his release.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the wrongful detention determination after an “extensive review of the circumstances” around Min Zin’s detention, Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson announced Thursday. Min Zin has been jailed since early June.
The designation comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected meeting with President Donald Trump in the United States next month.
“When I heard the news, I teared up a little bit,” Aung Maw Zin told CNN Thursday, saying it gives the message to Beijing that his older brother’s case is a priority.
Min Zin went to Yunnan earlier this summer, at the invitation of a professor he has known since 2018, to attend a conference at Kunming University, his brother said. He had traveled to China in the past without incident, including for a conference in 2025.
