Advisory out against travel to the US

Gun violence, discrimination among major safety concerns cited in notice

China issued a travel advisory on Monday, urging its citizens in the United States to better watch out for their own safety and calling on those who are going to visit the US to heighten their vigilance against US "sting operations".

The US, plagued frequently by gun violence and discrimination against Asian people, has been harassing and interrogating Chinese citizens entering and leaving the US, using various excuses, said the notice issued by the Foreign Ministry's Department of Consular Affairs and the Chinese embassy in the US.

Recently, the US maliciously smeared China's efforts to repatriate corrupt fugitives and recover illegal proceeds, and has even resorted to judicial means to willfully detain Chinese citizens, the notice said.

Also, the US has scapegoated China on fentanyl-related issues, resorting to "sting operations "against and extraterritorial abduction of Chinese nationals, as well as prosecution of them.

The notice called on Chinese citizens in the US to closely follow the local security situation. Those who are on a temporary visit to the US should be careful not to fall victim to US "sting operations", it said.

The notice came 10 days after the US State Department updated a travel advisory concerning China.

Rebuking the US advisory, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday that China welcomes people and companies of all countries to travel and do business in China, and is committed to protecting their safety and legitimate rights, including their freedom of entry and exit.

China is a country committed to the rule of law, and its government departments make decisions based on law and facts when conducting security reviews of foreign companies, Mao said.

The spokeswoman slammed the US for abusing entry reviews and for detention of Chinese citizens, saying that the US has been hampering the entry of Chinese citizens.

In 2021, the US refused to issue visas to at least 2,000 Chinese students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Mao noted.

Also, the number of visas the US issued to Chinese students in the first 10 months of last year saw a 38 percent year-on-year drop, according to the spokeswoman.

Mao urged the US to stop its wrongdoing at once, stop disrupting practical cooperation between the two countries, stop arbitrary detentions and abuse of process against Chinese businesses and individuals, and earnestly protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese businesses and nationals in the US.