“U.S. citizens traveling or residing in the PRC, including the Hong Kong SAR, may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime. U.S. citizens may be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention without due process of law.”

The US Department of State issued a warning to its citizens on Friday, urging them to reconsider traveling to China owing to the Chinese government’s “arbitrary enforcement” of restrictions in response to the country’s COVID-19 outbreak.

“The PRC government arbitrarily enforces local laws, including carrying out arbitrary and wrongful detentions and using exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries without due process of law,” the State Department said in a statement.

According to the United States, China would be imposing these sanctions to obtain negotiating influence over foreign governments, pressure family members to return to the country, or even force scientists to participate in research carried out by the Chinese government.

In addition, the US government has warned that “in most cMost Americans are only aware of an exit ban when they try to leave the PRC, and there is no reliable system or legal process to determine how long the ban will last or to challenge it in court.

Citizens of the United States traveling or residing in the People’s Republic of China, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, may be detained without access to US diplomatic services or information about their alleged offense. Without due process of law, U.S. citizens may be subjected to lengthy interrogations and incarceration.

On the other hand, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases and the impact of restrictions associated to the Chinese government’s response, the United States has authorized non-emergency personnel from its Consulate General in Shanghai to leave voluntarily on Friday.

There are currently about 25 million people in Shanghai under lockdown since last week, which has led some of the population to complain about food shortages. However, Beijing continues to stick to the “zero tolerance” strategy and is determined to “crush the outbreak” in the city. Thus, it has sent more than 38,000 workers and 2,000 soldiers to the area.

The authorities announced earlier this week their decision to extend indefinitely the confinement decreed by the rebound in coronavirus cases, after carrying out tests on Monday on its 26 million inhabitants.

Image Credit: Getty

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