Wife of Imprisoned US Scholar Urges Trump to Raise Detention at Upcoming Xi Meeting

The wife of an imprisoned US scholar has called on President Donald Trump to press for her husband's freedom when he hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House next week. Sylvia Zin testified before Congress on Wednesday, urging the administration to secure the release of U Min Zin and other US citizens detained in China.

U Min Zin, who directs a think tank focused on Myanmar, was arrested on June 3 after traveling to the Chinese city of Kunming to attend an academic conference. Chinese authorities are holding him on charges of spying and endangering national security. The US State Department has formally designated both Min Zin and US seismologist Chen Youlin as "wrongfully detained," a classification that elevates their cases and shifts resources to the Office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs.

Sylvia Zin appeared in Washington DC before the House Foreign Affairs Committee East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee during a hearing titled "Lives, Not Leverage: The Long Arm of China and North Korea's Repression." Ahead of President Xi's scheduled state visit, families of individuals imprisoned in China traveled to the US capital to advocate for government intervention.

During her congressional testimony, Zin expressed deep hope that President Trump would raise her husband's case directly with the Chinese leader. She also voiced confidence that the administration could help secure the release of Chen Youlin, a US seismologist tracking nuclear tests who has been imprisoned in China for two years, pointing to Trump's past record on returning detained Americans.

Chairwoman Young Kim opened the subcommittee hearing with a warning to American travelers regarding diplomatic tensions, stating that Beijing may use detentions as leverage in negotiations. Kim asserted that Min Zin was targeted ahead of the summit because his research and think-tank work inconveniently focused on China's regional influence and interests in Myanmar. Min Zin previously participated as a student activist during Myanmar's 1988 pro-democracy movement and leads the Myanmar Institute for Strategic and Policy Studies (ISP-Myanmar).

Other families of prisoners have similarly sought US intervention. The son of imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai also appeared on Capitol Hill to lobby for his father's freedom. President Trump previously raised Lai's case with Xi, noting that his counterpart described the situation as difficult.

Regarding the ongoing imprisonment, Sylvia Zin told lawmakers that she lives in Thailand and has been unable to speak directly with her husband in jail, relying on monthly consular visits to confirm he is alive. US officials have informed her that Min Zin faced up to six hours of daily interrogations during the initial period of his incarceration.

In response to inquiries regarding the upcoming diplomatic talks, an anonymous senior White House official told the BBC on Thursday that resolving the wrongful detentions of US citizens remains a top priority for the president.

Past diplomatic engagements offer precedent for such requests. When Trump and Xi last held a formal meeting, Trump pressed for the return of imprisoned underground church leader Jin Mingri, who was subsequently freed two months after the intervention. As President Xi prepares to arrive in Washington for next week's summit, families of detained Americans continue their push for similar high-level diplomatic resolutions.