A detained U.S. scholar’s wife asks Trump for help as Xi’s Washington visit nears, tell me about this news in (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/detained-us-scholars-wife-asks-trump-help-xi-washington-visit-nears-rcna598274)

17-09-2026

This news report focuses on Sylvia Zin, the wife of detained American scholar Min Zin, making an urgent plea to U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene and secure her husband’s release ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to Washington.

CP24

Key details reported in the story include:

  • The Detained Scholar: Min Zin, 53, is a Myanmar politics scholar affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley, and executive director of the independent think tank ISP-Myanmar. He traveled to China in June for an academic workshop and was detained by Chinese state security on suspicion of endangering national security.

    CP24

  • Official U.S. Designation: Min Zin is recognized by the U.S. State Department as wrongfully detained in China, alongside Youlin Chen, an American seismologist held for nearly two years.

    Indiatimes

  • Congressional Testimony & Plea: Testifying before a House foreign affairs subcommittee on Capitol Hill, Sylvia Zin urged Trump to raise her husband’s case directly with Xi. She cited past diplomatic deals as a source of hope that her husband and other detained Americans could be freed.

    CP24+ 1

  • Conditions and Concerns: Sylvia Zin expressed deep concern over his health and detention conditions, explaining that she has had no direct communication with him and only receives updates through monthly U.S. consular visits. She testified that he was initially interrogated for four to six hours daily and kept in a small cell where the lights remain illuminated around the clock.

    CP24+ 1

  • Broader Context: Her testimony coincided with renewed appeals from other families of detainees ahead of the summit, including Sebastien Lai, the son of imprisoned Hong Kong media publisher Jimmy Lai, who also testified before Congress urging Trump to press Beijing for his father’s release.

    Ground News



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