Travel to China isn’t recommended, says the U.S. government’s latest travel advisory after a U.S. citizen was sentenced to life in prison in China.
On Monday, John Shing-Wan Leung, an American citizen living in Hong Kong, was sentenced in a Chinese court to life in prison for undisclosed charges related to espionage. He was arrested two years ago, and is seventy-eight years old.
The new advisory against travel to China doesn’t name his case, but was released on the same day as his sentencing.
“The People’s Republic of China (PRC) government arbitrarily enforces local laws, including issuing exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries, without fair and transparent process under the law,” the U.S. advisory said.
“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,” it warned. It added that Chinese authorities have ‘broad discretion’ to call any document, data, statistic, or material a state secret of China and use them to detain anyone.
Exit bans could be used to compel individuals to participate in Chinese government investigations, pressure family members to return from abroad, resolve civil disputes in favor of Chinese citizens and “gain bargaining leverage over foreign governments,” the advisory said.
Several other Americans are also currently in detainment in China, all under undisclosed espionage accusations, as well as two Chinese-Australians.
Americans are advised against any unnecessary travel to China for now, be it for reasons of business, family, or tourism.
China has not responded to the Monday announcement of the advisory, but is expected to have words on the matter soon. China advises against travel to the U.S. on the basis of high crime, anti-Asian discrimination, and the punitive costs of any emergency medical assistance.