Americans should reconsider travel to China due to the risk of wrongful detention, warned the US state department said in an updated travel advisory. The department had listed China as a "Level 3: Reconsider Travel" destination in its previous advisory due to the risk of "arbitrary enforcement of local laws".
The risk of wrongful detention was also listed as a reason for US travellers to "exercise increased caution" in a March advisory. A state department spokesperson said that the Chinese government "continues to engage in this practice" of wrongful detention owing to which "the Travel Advisory has been updated to advise US citizens to reconsider travel to Mainland China due to the risk of wrongful detention."
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“The Department of State has determined the risk of wrongful detention of US nationals by the PRC government exists in the PRC,” advisories in late June and March noted.
The advisory comes after US secretary of state Antony Blinken travelled to Beijing last month. The US and China had made "progress" toward steering relations back on track as both sides agreed on the need to "stabilize" the bilateral relationship, he had then said, adding that he raised the cases of the three Americans known to be wrongfully detained in China: Kai Li, Mark Swidan and David Lin.
{{/usCountry}}The advisory comes after US secretary of state Antony Blinken travelled to Beijing last month. The US and China had made "progress" toward steering relations back on track as both sides agreed on the need to "stabilize" the bilateral relationship, he had then said, adding that he raised the cases of the three Americans known to be wrongfully detained in China: Kai Li, Mark Swidan and David Lin.
{{/usCountry}}US treasury secretary Janet Yellen will travel to the Chinese capital this week.