Bilateral Discord: US alerts citizens to security threats, illegal detention in China
The United States has alerted its citizens living in China to “heightened risk of arbitrary detention” in China.
The warning was issued following the spike in the bilateral tensions between the two countries.
The countries are currently locked in a serious bilateral squabble over issues bothering on coronavirus pandemic, Hong Kong, and allegations of human rights abuses of the minority Muslim population in Xinjiang and residents of Tibet.
The warning was issued on Saturday July 11, 2020, by the state department. But the reason for the new security alert to US citizens in China was not mentioned.
The security alert informed the US citizens that they might likely face “prolonged interrogations and extended detention” for reasons related to state security.
“Security personnel may detain and/or deport US citizens for sending private electronic messages critical of the Chinese government,” the alert reads.
While the US President commented that the relationship between the US and China had been “severely damaged”, China accused the US of meddling in its internal affairs.
