The U.S. The State Department has issued a travel warning for China and Hong Kong that urges visitors to reconsider travel due to potential wrongful detention or “arbitrary enforcement of laws,” according to reports from Travel and Leisure.
The warning designates mainland China and Macau as Level 3 destinations meaning U.S. citizens should “reconsider travel” there. It also identified Hong Kong as a Level 2 city which recommends that travelers “exercise increased caution” when visiting.
Travel advisories are ranked on a scale of 1-4 in which level one suggests you “exercise normal precautions,” and level four recommends you do not travel. Most countries with travel advisories of 2 or higher are often in the midst of civil unrest, war, crime or threats of terrorism.
Following various instances of wrongful detainment in China, the State Department’s advisory stated: “PRC authorities appear to have broad discretion to deem a wide range of documents, data, statistics, or materials as state secrets and to detain and prosecute foreign nationals for alleged espionage.”
In February, Newsweek reported that nearly 200 Americans remained in Chinese prisons, detention centers and under house arrest after being wrongfully detained. Tensions between the U.S. and China have lingered after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down earlier this year. Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken traveled to China to stabilize relations between the superpowers.
Traveling to China is already a difficult task as Americans who wish to visit need a visa provided by Chinese authorities. Additionally, T&L reports China has only recently eased COVID-19 travel restrictions and resumed issuing international tourist visas.
