US adds ‘wrongful detention’ warning for Americans travelling to China

The US State Department has added a "wrongful detention" warning to its travel advisory for China, informing American citizens of the risk of arbitrary detention under Chinese law. This comes as the US and China work to maintain a strengthening relationship following a positive reception of Chinese President Xi Jinping by US President Donald Trump during their September meeting in Washington.

The advisory maintains an overall level of "Exercise Increased Caution" for mainland China, urging Americans to exercise caution due to the "arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the use of exit bans without a fair and transparent process under the law, and the risk of wrongful detention". The move follows the detention of two American scholars, Chen Youlin and Min Zin, both of whom have been designated by the US government as wrongfully detained.

Chen is accused of espionage, likely linked to his seismic research, while Zin is accused of espionage and endangering China's national security. The Chinese embassy in Washington has not yet commented on the matter. Previously, Beijing had rejected claims of wrongful detention, stating that Chen's case was handled lawfully and that Zin was under investigation with his legal rights protected.

In 2024, the State Department removed the "D" indicator from its China travel advisory after China released several detained Americans. The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation currently assesses 12 Americans as wrongfully detained in China, including those under exit bans, with the foundation estimating the total number of Americans involved in China's legal system could be higher.