After wrongful detention cases in China, the US State Department has urged citizens to reconsider their plans to travel to mainland China. According to CNN, the department updated its travel advisory on Friday. With the intention of advising Americans to reconsider their travel plans to China, the State Department cautioned them to avoid wrongful detention. This unusual advisory came as a result of grave detention incidents that occurred in China.
Amid Wrongful Detention Cases, USA Authorities Warn Travellers
In the previous advisory, China was listed as Level 3: Reconsider Travel by the US authorities. The recent advisory was made due to the potential for arbitrary enforcement of local laws. In March, this advisory was released because there is a chance that they could be arbitrarily detained. The authorities urged travellers to hold off on third plans and proceed with caution.
The Travel Advisory has been updated to caution US citizens against visiting Mainland China. The spokesperson of the US authorities revealed that the Chinese government has been continually detaining American citizens wrongfully. Consequently, the upcoming travellers are also at risk of wrongful detention.
The Risk Of Travelling Is On The Rise
The Department of State came to the conclusion that there is a chance that US citizens may be arbitrarily detained by the PRC government in the PRC based on advisories that were released in late June and early March. The updated counsel is being offered at a time when US-China tensions are at an all-time high.
To prevent the relationship from deteriorating during a period of lingering mistrust, Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Beijing. As per the reports by CNN, in a press conference after the visit, Blinken stated that the US and China had made progress in their relationship. Following the meeting, both parties came to the conclusion that the bilateral relationship between them needed to be stabilised.
The top US diplomat claimed that he brought up the cases of the three Americans who are allegedly being held in China without charge. He also mentioned that talks are being held right now to try and secure their release. As part of ongoing efforts to normalise relations between China and the US, the Treasury Secretary is due to visit China’s capital this week.
With the risk of detention rising, it is certainly advisable to rethink any travel plans to the country.
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