Naypyidaw, Sep 25 (IANS) China’s wrongful detention of American citizen Min Zin raises concerns over a chilling effect on US academic research, with scholars increasingly wary of conducting critical work on China, a report has stated.
It noted that US research in international and area studies relies heavily on access—something that repressive regimes can restrict or deny. Scholars studying China may increasingly feel that writing critically about Beijing or speaking out for a wrongfully detained colleague carries too many risks.
“This week’s US-China summit has put the spotlight on US citizens wrongfully detained in China. One of them is Min Zin, a UC Berkeley alumnus and scholar who entered China on June 3 with a valid, multiple-entry, 10-year visa, a US passport, and an invitation to an academic workshop in Yunnan, expecting the same warm welcome he had experienced at a conference in Shanghai last year. Instead, he was detained on arrival, whisked off to a secret location, and subjected to daily interrogations,” a report in Myanmar’s media outlet ‘The Irrawaddy’ detailed.
On August 20 this year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally designated Min Zin as “wrongfully detained,” offering his wife, Sylvia Zin, renewed reassurance that the US government is working to secure his release.
Last week, she delivered an emotional testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, speaking as a victim of repression by China, the report mentioned.
“Today, China is not only suppressing freedom of expression among its own citizens, but also stoking fear and self-censorship beyond its borders. China’s transnational repression operations can stifle international research initiatives and endanger the lives and well-being of not just Min Zin but other scholars both here in America and elsewhere, as demonstrated by the case of a Japanese history professor arrested in Beijing in 2019,” it mentioned.
The report noted that on September 5, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at strengthening efforts to protect US nationals wrongfully detained abroad, pledging to “curb this coercive tactic” through “every available tool.”
“What steps can, and should, the US take to counter such wrongful detentions, protect American scholars in international and area studies, and support the continuation of open-source research in China?” it questioned.
Highlighting the wider implications of Beijing’s repression, the report said, “What happened to Min Zin and Chen could happen to other Americans engaged in China-related research and academic dialogue. Wrongfully detaining US citizens not only stymies mutually beneficial educational exchanges, but also harms China’s image on the world stage.”
–IANS
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