The U.S. State Department on Oct. 19 added a risk label to its travel advisory for China, warning Americans living in or traveling to the country that they could be detained without credible evidence.
“The Department of State has determined that Americans are at serious risk of wrongful detention in China,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times in a statement.
The newly included “D” label in the State Department’s travel advisory for mainland China came as Beijing continues to hold two U.S. citizens who Washington said were detained on wrongful charges.
U Min Zin, who cofounded a think tank focused on Burma (also known as Myanmar), was arrested on June 3 in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, where he was invited by Chinese authorities to attend an academic conference. China’s foreign ministry accused him of conducting espionage that threatened national security.
Chen Youlin, another U.S. citizen and a seismologist, has been held in China for nearly two years without a trial. Beijing accused Chen of espionage, a charge that his family rejects, saying his academic work relied on public data and required no security clearance. Rights advocates say he was targeted for his research on projects funded by the U.S. government.
The detention of the two U.S. academics has renewed calls to confront the Chinese regime’s hostage diplomacy: the use of judicial systems to arbitrarily arrest or detain foreign nationals to gain political leverage.
The Chinese regime has kept at least 200 Americans under forms of detention, exit bans, or other coercive measures, according to an estimate by human rights group the Dui Hua Foundation.
The State Department said the Trump administration is committed to securing the release of Chen and Min Zin, as well as all Americans wrongfully detained overseas.
“The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans,” the spokesperson said, adding that the department encourages all Americans traveling to or in mainland China to read the entire travel advisory.
The update came weeks after the State Department website updated its travel advisory for China, which added a warning of unjust arrest or detention risks and stated that Beijing’s use of exit bans lacks “a fair and transparent process under the law.”
The current travel advisory maintains a Level 2 warning for mainland China and Hong Kong, which asks Americans to exercise “increased caution.” U.S. citizens are advised to “reconsider travel” to Macau because of a limited ability to provide emergency consular assistance.
“Wrongfully detained Americans may be held in prison for years, in poor conditions, and without due process or consistent access to U.S. government staff or their family,” the advisory said.
It also noted that Beijing may restrict people from leaving China to put pressure on family overseas or gain bargaining leverage over foreign governments. Americans may realize the exit ban only as they try to leave China and find no legal process to contest it, the department said.
Ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s September visit to Washington, U.S. lawmakers from both chambers of Congress urged the Trump administration to elevate the China travel alert to Level 3, citing the regime’s use of arbitrary detention for political purposes.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that he spoke with Xi during their meetings last month about releasing Min Zin and other political prisoners in China.
“We talked,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Sept. 30. “And I think we had some very, very important discussions. Hopefully, fruitful discussions.”
In addition to Chen and Min Zin, China has jailed Americans Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Michelle Hunt on drug-related charges since 2014.
Wells was arrested at an airport after Chinese authorities allegedly found drugs in a bag he believed to contain baked goods, according to his father.
Hunt was tricked into believing that she had won a cash prize, which led her to Hong Kong and China, her brother Tim Hunt previously told lawmakers. She was then gifted a handbag containing illicit drugs, he said.
Frank Fang contributed to this report.
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