Removes lockdown concerns but warns of wrongful exit detentions.
The Department of State updated its travel advisory for the People’s Republic of China (PRC), removing concerns about potential COVID-19 lockdowns. Instead, officials now warn about an increased risk of “wrongful detention” for foreign citizens.
“U.S. citizens traveling or residing in the PRC may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime,” the department stated. The advisory continued, “U.S. citizens might only become aware of an exit ban when they attempt to depart the PRC, and there may be no available legal process to contest an exit ban” adding that “relatives, including minor children” may also be prevented from leaving China.
The department updated its advisory due to the recent increase in detainments which has affected businesspeople, journalists, academics, and relatives of Chinese citizens. Most recently, Leung Shing-wan, a prominent dual citizen of China and the U.S., was detained in April 2021 and sentenced to life in a Chinese prison for “espionage” charges this past May.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Blinken and State Department officials as they review and update travel advisories.
- For U.S. citizens who are currently in China or planning to visit that nation.
- For Chinese officials to release U.S. citizens who are being wrongfully detained.
Sources: Radio Free Asia, American Military News
