US State Department Warns Against Travel to China for Risk of Wrongful Detention

Image: Great Wall of China in Beijing. (photo via SeanPavonePhoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Image: Great Wall of China in Beijing. (photo via SeanPavonePhoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 4:45 PM ET, Tue July 4, 2023

As alluring as it might be, the State Department is advising Americans to reconsider any trip to China.

Apparently, there have been several instances of unlawful detention by the Chinese. 

Relations between the U.S. and the Chinese have gotten frosty and more testy in recent months. The U.S. shot down a balloon several months ago that they said was a spy balloon, which the Chinese insisted it was just a weather balloon.

The State Department updated its travel advisory about going to China. Travel to mainland China is now considered a Level 3, or ‘reconsider travel.’

“The Travel Advisory has been updated to advise U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to Mainland China due to the risk of wrongful detention,” a United States State Department spokesperson said in a statement.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken Met with Chinese officials in Beijing last month in the hope of repairing the deteriorating relationship between the two countries. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will visit the People’s Republic of China Later this week, in an effort to do the same.


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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