Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that U.S. citizen U Min Zin, a scholar of Myanmar, is being wrongfully detained in China. Min Zin is one of two U.S. citizens the State Department has designated as wrongfully detained in the country and the second American academic to be given this designation in recent months.
Min Zin was arrested at the airport after traveling to Yunnan, China, in June. His travel to the region followed an invitation from the Chinese government.
The US State Department has made the case a priority for the Trump administration as the leaders of both countries prepare to meet in Washington next month.
Rights groups have urged the United States to press China for the release of the scholar.