Washington and Beijing recently exchanged visa bans for each other. (Representative)
Beijing:
The US State Department warned American citizens on Saturday to “exercise extra caution” in China due to the increased risk of arbitrary law enforcement, including detention and a ban on leaving the country.
“US citizens can be detained without access to US consular services or information about their alleged crime,” the State Department said in a security alert to its citizens in China, adding that American citizens could face “prolonged interrogation and prolonged detention” for reasons related to state security.
“Security personnel can detain and / or deport American citizens for sending private electronic messages criticizing the Chinese government,” he added, without citing specific examples. The State Department also did not say what triggered the security alert.
Security alert comes as bilateral tensions escalate over issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, to trade, to Hong Kong’s new security law and to allegations of human rights violations against Uighurs in the Xinjiang region.
Washington and Beijing recently exchanged visa bans for each other, highlighting the deterioration in relations.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry could not be reached immediately for comment on Saturday after hours. Beijing on Wednesday called a similar warning from Australia on the risk of arbitrary detention in China “completely ridiculous and misinformation”.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
