China advises citizens against travel to the US
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning to its citizens traveling to the United States. According to a post on WeChat, some Chinese students and employees have recently been subject to “unreasonable interrogation and harassment” by law enforcement officials at US airports. Personal belongings, including phones, computers, and luggage, have been thoroughly searched, and some individuals have been banned from entering the country.
In response to these incidents, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the US, have sent formal protests to the US government. They also advise Chinese citizens planning to travel to the US to be aware of these issues. If assistance is needed, they recommend contacting the Chinese diplomatic mission in the United States.
Image: China and the US have recently committed to promoting educational exchanges. (Source: Reuters)
According to Chinese media reports, at least eight Chinese students with valid documents have been searched, interrogated, or deported at Washington Dulles International Airport since November of last year. Earlier this year, China Science Daily reported that a Chinese graduate student was deported at Washington Dulles Airport when she returned to the US to continue her studies. The source confirmed that the student was subjected to a body search and held for questioning for 8 hours, followed by an additional 12 hours of detention.
Upon returning to China, the student reported that 10 other Chinese students had also experienced similar treatment by US airport officials.
On March 8th, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the US had disrupted personnel exchanges between the two countries, violating the agreements reached by the top leaders of both nations. Mao described these incidents as “discrimination” and attributed them to the “Cold War mentality” of certain individuals in the US.
Last month, another spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uong Van Ban, stated that the US government was “weaponizing” academic research, expanding the concept of national security beyond reasonable limits, and discriminating against Chinese students. Ban also suggested that the US was “poisoning” the atmosphere of bilateral exchanges.
In recent months, China and the US have committed to promoting educational and other exchanges. During his visit to the US in November 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that Beijing would invite 50,000 American youth to study in China over the next five years.
This week, President Xi met with representatives from the business community, academia, and policymaking circles in the US. He emphasized that the China-US relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world and expressed the hope that people from all walks of life in both countries can engage in even more exchanges.
This article was written by a financial expert on behalf of Business Today.