Burmese-American Scholar Min Zin Arrested in China

(Staff post from IRRAWADDY NEWS JOURNAL on 19 June 2026.)

China Arrests Myanmar-Born US Scholar on Suspicion of Spying: China arrested a Myanmar-born scholar on its southwestern border in Yunnan Province early this month, accusing the US citizen of spying ⁠and endangering Chinese national security, China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday. 

China has notified the US Consulate General in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou of the arrest, Lin ‌Jian, ⁠a ministry spokesperson, told a regular news conference when asked about U Min Zin’s disappearance ⁠in Kunming last ⁠week, Reuters said. U Min Zin, a US citizen originally from Myanmar, was arrested by security forces on June 3 upon his arrival at the airport in the provincial capital Kunming.

The Irrawaddy has learned that he was invited to attend an event hosted by a Chinese university there. He studies Myanmar politics and is a founding member and executive director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar), a nongovernmental policy think tank whose research focuses on China-Myanmar relations, among other issues. ISP-Myanmar was not available for comment on Friday.

Sydney House Prices Fall Faster as Clearances Crash

 (Lucy Slade’s post from the AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW on 22 June 2026.)

‘Downturn is deepening’: Sydney house prices fall faster as clearances crash. Sydney house prices have fallen 1.1 per cent in the last four weeks, with the pace of the decline picking up as clearance rates crash close to their lowest on record, according to Cotality.

The correction, which could extend for months longer, hit the Sydney and Melbourne markets first but is already being felt in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide where a previously buoyant market is also showing signs of easing. Sydney and Melbourne’s home values could fall by 8 per cent by November.

“In Sydney and Melbourne, it does look like this downturn is deepening as we move into winter,” said Tim Lawless, research director at Cotality, a property data provider. Cotality’s rolling home value index shows prices have declined by 1.1 per cent in Sydney in the last four weeks and are now sliding faster than the 0.9 per cent fall recorded over May.

Chinese Investments on Aussie Houses Plunged 31 B$

(Nathan Mawby’s post from the REALESTATE.COM on 11 June 2026.)

$31bn plunge in Chinese investors will hurt Aus housing, experts warn: A decade after major tightening of foreign investment rules in Australia the nation has had a more than $65bn cut to funds coming in — spearheaded by China.

China-based property buyers have made moves on $200m worth of Aussie homes in the first three months of 2026. But it’s a fraction of what they used to spend, with Australia on track to receive $31bn less in investment from the Asian superpower into its property market compared to 2016.

Latest figures from the Foreign Investment Review Board show Chinese investors are on track to buy in the vicinity of $1bn worth of residential homes here in the current financial year. In the 2015-2016 financial year they sought to buy a jaw-dropping $31.912bn worth of Aussie homes.

Bypassing China’s Chokepoint: Through Myanmar

              (Daniel Swift’s post from FDD on 18 June 2026.)

China’s Chokepoint Problem: Why Beijing Is Welcoming a Leader Nobody Likes. No one likes Min Aung Hlaing. Nevertheless, the leader of Myanmar’s military government kicked off a five-day state visit in China on June 16, seeking legitimacy after a sham election that few inside or outside Myanmar take seriously.

He remains deeply unpopular at home, where the economy has shrunk 20 percent since his February 2021 coup. Beijing is growing impatient over his inability to crack down on scam centers and to bring peace to Myanmar — home of the world’s longest-running civil war.

China needs stability on its 1,300-mile border with Myanmar and wants the junta to protect a pipeline terminus and port project in Rakhine State that gives it a foothold in the Indian Ocean and a bypass around the Strait of Malacca maritime chokepoint.

UWSA (Wa Army) Vs Arakan Army (AA)

 (Translation of Steven Sanyu’s post from his FACEBOOK pages on 16 June 2026.)

Will the Wa Army (UWSA) be going into a war with the Arakan Army (AA)?

So far, for many years UWSA has managed not to participate in the ongoing civil war between Myanmar Army and other ethnic armies such as AA (Yakhine Army), TNLA (Palaung Army), KIA (Kachin Army) and MNDAA (Kokang Army) even though the Wa were the ones making massive profits selling assault rifles and heavy-machineguns and ammunitions to other ethnic armies except KIA Kachins who have their own weapon manufacturing plants.

That long stalemate is going to change very soon as both their Chinese Masters and Myanmar Army generals now need them to annihilate the recalcitrant Yakhines (Arakaneses) of victorious AA in the western Myanmar State of Arakan.

Even with massive Chinese assistance in the form of advance war-drones and many billions of Chinese Yuan, Myanmar Army war columns many thousands-soldiers-strong have not managed to break through the AA defensive lines on the high hills and mountains of long Arakan Ranges (Arakan-Yoma) between the Proper Burma and Arakan State.

Myanmar Army is Winning Again with China’s Help?

(Jonathan Head’s post from the BBC NEWS on 23 October 2025.)

Myanmar's army is taking back territory with relentless air strikes - and China's help: When insurgents finally gained control of the town of Kyaukme - on the main trade route from the Chinese border to the rest of Myanmar - it was after several months of hard fighting last year.

Kyaukme straddles Asian Highway 14, more famous as the Burma Road during the Second World War, and its capture by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) was seen by many as a pivotal victory for the opposition. It suggested that the morale of the military junta which had seized power in 2021 might be crumbling.

This month, though, it took just three weeks for the army to recapture Kyaukme. The fluctuating fate of this little hill town is a stark illustration of how far the military balance in Myanmar has now shifted, in favour of the junta.

New China-funded railway across Malaysia

(Alexandra Radu’s post from the DIALOGUE EARTH on 07 February 2020.)

Work on Malaysia’s new East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) started again in April 2019 after a delay of almost a year for renegotiations with the Chinese firm leading the project. The railway’s new route, adjusted to save costs, now avoids two areas of ecological importance, making the delay good news for Malaysia’s environment.

Over 640 km long, the railway connects Kota Bharu on the east coast of peninsula Malaysia with the country’s biggest commercial port, Port Klang, on the west coast near the capital Kuala Lumpur. It will link up to a wider pan-Asian network of railways currently under construction or planned as part of China’s global Belt and Road Initiative.

Work on the project started in August 2017 but was suspended in 2018 following a general election in Malaysia. The newly-elected prime minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad, accused his predecessor of awarding the project to the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) without an open tendering process, at high costs and unfair terms for Malaysia.

Counter-Coup in Myanmar: Dictator Removed & Jailed?

 

According to the insider sources the Myanmar Dictator-turned-President Min Aung Hlaing has been removed and arrested together with his absolutely corrupt family in Naypyidaw. The counter-coup has been staged by current army chief General Ye Win Oo with the support of Vice Senior General Soe Win on June-8 early morning.

According to the army sources most army divisional commanders have supported the counter-coup as the almost six-years-long civil war is nearly lost with massive casualties on the front lines and the capital city Naypyidaw is now seriously threatened.

The bloodless coup would become the turning point for anti-army revolution as the Myanmar Army has already lost nearly 60% of Myanmar landmass to the revolutionary forces mainly EAOs (Ethnic Armed Organizations) and NUG’s PDF (National Unity Government’s People Defence Forces) all over the poverty-stricken nation.

Australia to Produce a Record 2.2 million tonnes Lentils

 (Matt Brann’s post from the ABC NEWS Australia on 06 June 2026.)

Australia forecast to produce a record 2.2 million tonnes of lentils: On below are three glass jars. One filled with red lentils, one with yellow lentils and the third with barley. Australian lentils are mostly exported to countries including India and Bangladesh.

Australian farmers are set to produce less wheat, barley and canola this year because of dry seasonal conditions and high input costs. But they are on track to produce Australia's biggest crop of lentils. National commodities forecaster ABARES says lentil production is set to rise 3 per cent to a record 2.2 million tonnes.

Following Graph is showing lentil production increases over the years. "Plantings have exploded across Victoria and South Australia, with production now creeping into places like WA and New South Wales," said Market Check chief executive Nick Crundall.