(NEW YORK) -- A U.S. citizen was arrested in China on espionage charges, according to Chinese officials.

U Min Zin was "lawfully subjected to criminal compulsory measures by the relevant authorities on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities that endanger China's national security Chinese foreign ministry," spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Friday during a news conference.

Lin did not provide any more details about the charges or the investigation into Min Zin, who has been a longtime scholar on the politics of Myanmar. The spokesperson said the Chinese government notified the U.S. consulate general in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

A State Department official told ABC News in a statement Friday that the department is aware of the reports of the arrest.

"The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans. Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained, we work to provide the appropriate consular assistance. However, under federal privacy law, we are unable to comment further at this time," the official said.

Min Zin took part in the democracy movement in Burma, Myanmar's former name, in the late 80s and fled the country in 1989 to avoid arrest, according to a bio on his blog.

He is the executive director of the think tank, The Institute for Strategy and Policy (Myanmar), and has written several publications about Myanmar's politics.

Min Zin was scheduled to speak at an event in Nepal this month hosted by the Centre for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy, the think tank announced in May.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston contributed to this report.

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