US Warns Americans Against Traveling to China
On Friday, the US State Department updated its China travel advisory, urging Americans to reconsider travel to the PRC due to its arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
Facts
- On Friday, the US State Department updated its China travel advisory, urging Americans to reconsider travel to the PRC due to its arbitrary enforcement of local laws.1
- Citing “exit bans and the risks of wrongful detentions,” Washington warned that “US citizens traveling or residing in the PRC may be detained” without fair and transparent process under the law or access to US consular services.2
- The fresh advisory comes as China recently passed a new Foreign Relations Law that reportedly threatens repercussions against people perceived to be harming China’s interests.3
- The advisory also follows Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to Beijing, which saw him note that negotiations are underway to secure the release of three wrongfully detained Americans in China.4
- The State Department additionally asked Americans to exercise increased caution when traveling to Hong Kong, and reconsider travel to Macau due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws in the two Chinese territories.5
- These recommendations come after the PRC sentenced a 78-year-old US citizen to life in prison in May over spying charges.3
Sources: 1Travel, 2New York Post, 3Associated Press, 4CNN, and 5FOX News.
Narratives
- Anti-China narrative, as provided by The Hill. The Chinese government is enforcing arbitrary laws to prosecute foreign nationals in the name of espionage. The safety and security of its citizens at home and abroad are of the utmost importance to the US, which is why they must heed the warning and be aware of any risks they may face if traveling to the PRC.
- Pro-China narrative, as provided by MFA. This is not the first travel advisory instructing Americans to avoid traveling to China, and it will likely not be the last, as such warnings result from tensions between the world’s two largest economies rather than actual or perceived risk to life. The US ranks 129th on the Global safety index, while China ranks 89 — the PRC is safer, fairer, and more peaceful than the violent and anti-Asian America.
