The US State Department has added a “wrongful detention” warning to its travel advisory for China, alerting Americans to the risk of being detained arbitrarily under Chinese law.
On Monday, the official China travel advisory added the “D” risk indicator for wrongful detention, while maintaining the country’s overall advisory level at Level 2, or “Exercise Increased Caution”.
The advisory urges Americans travelling to mainland China to exercise caution due to the “arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the use of exit bans without a fair and transparent process under the law, and the risk of wrongful detention”.
The move comes as Washington and Beijing seek to maintain an improving bilateral relationship following a warm welcome for Chinese President Xi Jinping by US President Donald Trump during the September visit to Washington. The two leaders are expected to meet twice more this year.