China Issues US Travel Alert Warning of Guns, High Medical Bills

By Yannick Faillard

Last week, the Chinese embassy in Washington DC issued a travel warning for the United States.

According to the embassy, there are many factors that play into the decreased security situation of the US. The latest alert warned of various dangers Chinese citizens might encounter while traveling to the US, including public shootings and robberies, expensive medical bills, deliberate searches and seizures by customs agents, telecommunications fraud and natural disasters.

“Public security in the United States is not good," the embassy said in the alert. "Cases of shootings, robberies and theft are frequent."

They also added that “travelers in the United States should be alert to their surroundings, suspicious individuals and avoid going out alone at night.”

The embassy released a similar alert earlier this year in January.

The harsh words come among heightened tensions caused by the continuing tariff threats between the two powers. US President Donald Trump is set to impose tariffs on an additional USD34 billion worth of Chinese products this Friday.

When asked if the warning was politically motivated, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded that summer is the high season for Chinese nationals to travel to the US and that it was the duty of the embassy to warn its citizens about the potential risks abroad.

“This kind of reminder from the Chinese embassy in the relevant country, I think this is absolutely a matter that is in the scope of our duty,” ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing.

Around 2.6 million Chinese travelers visited the US in 2015, according to statistics from the non-profit US Travel Association.

[Top image via Pixabay]

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