China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the detention of a US citizen, as Spiegel reports. Spokesman Lin Jian stated in Beijing that the relevant authorities had taken “criminal coercive measures” against the man on suspicion of espionage and endangering national security. The US consulate in Guangzhou has been informed.
The US citizen was detained last week in the city of Kunming in Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar. The arrest came just weeks after US Donald Trump visited China. New York Times had previously reported on the case.
According to the China Committee of the US Congress, about 200 US citizens were in Chinese custody two years ago, citing the US human rights organization Dui Hua. A prominent case is Dawn Michelle Hunt, who has been imprisoned since 2014 for drug smuggling. EuroPulse reported on June 12, 2026, about Trump’s nomination of Jay Clayton as new intelligence coordinator (https://europulse.today/trump-nominiert-jay-clayton-geheimdienstkoordinator/).
Source: www.spiegel.de
