The U.S. has accused China of illegally detaining one of its scientists, according to Bloomberg
The U.S. State Department stated that China is unlawfully detaining American scientist Min Jing. His case has become one of the top priorities for the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
According to the U.S. side, Min Jing was detained on June 3 in the Chinese province of Yunnan, where he had traveled to attend an academic conference at the government’s invitation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the decision to deem the detention unlawful after reviewing the circumstances of the case.
“The safety of U.S. citizens is the State Department’s top priority,” said Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson.
He also emphasized that Washington will continue to seek the release of U.S. citizens whom the United States believes China is arbitrarily detaining or preventing from leaving the country.
“We will continue to advocate for Mr. Zin and call for the release of all U.S. citizens who are arbitrarily detained or barred from leaving China,” Johnson added.
Chinese authorities take a different view of the case. In June, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Min Jing was detained on suspicion of espionage and posing a threat to national security.
According to the Chinese ministry, the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou was notified of the detention.
In addition to Min Jing, the U.S. State Department named another American citizen—seismologist Yulin Chen—who is also believed to be unlawfully detained in China.
Chen was detained in late 2025, and in March 2026, the U.S. State Department declared his detention unlawful.
The issue of the detention of U.S. citizens was already raised during Donald Trump’s May visit to Beijing. At that time, the U.S. president discussed with Xi Jinping, among other things, the situation involving Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri—the leader of a well-known underground Chinese church.
China subsequently released the pastor, and on July 4, he returned to Los Angeles. At the same time, several members of the “Zion” church, which he led, remain in custody.
The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which works to protect Americans held hostage or illegally detained abroad, supported Marco Rubio’s position.
“As President Trump and President Xi prepare for their next meeting on September 24, Dr. Chen and Min Jin must be allowed to return home,” the foundation said in a statement.
Thus, the issue of detained American citizens may become an important topic in upcoming negotiations between the U.S. and China, particularly ahead of the planned meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
This was reported by Bloomberg.
On August 18, it became known that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will likely not visit New York to attend the UN General Assembly in September. Instead, according to sources, he may meet with Donald Trump in the U.S. on September 24, where he plans to spend about three days.
Earlier, Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it prevented the war with Iran from ending.
