Wife of Jailed US Scholar Asks Trump to Raise Case with Xi

The wife of a U.S. scholar imprisoned in China has appealed to President Donald Trump to secure her husband's release when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.

U Min Zin, director at a think tank focused on Myanmar, was arrested on June 3 after traveling to the Chinese city of Kunming for an academic conference. His wife, Sylvia Zin, testified before Congress on Wednesday, stating, "I'm deeply hopeful that President Trump will raise my husband's case with President Xi Jinping at the summit next week."

Xi is scheduled to arrive for a state visit to Washington D.C. on Wednesday. This meeting follows Xi's visit to Beijing in May, where he hosted Trump. Families of prisoners held in China have traveled to the U.S. capital ahead of the summit to advocate for their loved ones' release.

Sylvia Zin spoke 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." She also expressed belief that Trump could secure the release of Chen Youlin, a U.S. seismologist held in China for two years who monitors nuclear tests. "Knowing the president's historic record on bringing wrongfully detained Americans home has reassured me that he will also be able to secure the swift release of Min Zin and other wrongfully detained citizens," she said.

Congresswoman Young Kim, chairwoman of the subcommittee, warned that "If you travel to China, Beijing may take you hostage as leverage in diplomatic negotiation." Regarding Min Zin's arrest, Kim added, "Beijing wanted to send a message to those whose research inconvenienced it, and detained Mr Zin ahead of the upcoming Trump-Xi summit."

Min Zin, a former student activist in Myanmar's 1988 pro-democracy movement, directs the Myanmar Institute for Strategic and Policy Studies, which examines China's role and influence in Myanmar.

The son of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai also appeared on Capitol Hill seeking Trump's help for his father's release. Trump had previously raised Lai's case with Xi, who described it as "a tough one."

A senior White House official, speaking anonymously, stated that "Resolving the wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens is always a top priority for the President."

Last month, the U.S. State Department officially designated both U Min Zin and Chen Youlin as "wrongfully detained" in China. This designation allows their cases to be transferred to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, increasing their profile and enabling the U.S. government to allocate more resources toward securing their release.

Sylvia Zin, who resides in Thailand, told the committee she has been unable to speak with her husband in jail, relaying, "so every month, we anxiously await his consular visits because they reassure us that he is alive." She also shared that U.S. officials informed her Min Zin was subjected to interrogations lasting up to six hours daily upon his initial incarceration. "I'm trying to be strong for our daughter, but I'm constantly wondering if he's OK and how to get him back home to us," she said.

In a previous instance, when Trump and Xi formally met, Trump requested the return of another American, underground church leader Jin Mingri, who was freed two months later.