TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US State Department has revised its China travel advisory to warn that Americans with dual Taiwanese citizenship may face additional scrutiny and harassment in China.
The Sept. 4 version expands warnings about wrongful detention, national security laws, electronic communications, and people who may face heightened scrutiny, while leaving the China advisory unchanged at Level 2, or “Exercise Increased Caution.” Hong Kong remains at Level 2, while Macau stays at Level 3, or “Reconsider Travel.”
“Americans should exercise increased caution when traveling to (China) due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the use of exit bans without a fair and transparent process under the law, and the risk of unjust arrest or detention,” a State Department spokesperson said. “Some areas have increased risk.”
The advisory says Americans who have dual Taiwanese citizenship may face additional scrutiny and harassment in China. It names the taibaozheng (台胞證), a travel document issued to Taiwanese to enter China, and warns that Chinese authorities may consider such travelers Chinese and may not recognize their US citizenship.
The advisory says China does not recognize dual nationality and may restrict or prohibit US consular assistance for people subject to exit bans or who are arrested or detained. It strongly encourages dual nationals and naturalized US citizens of Chinese descent to enter China using a US passport with an appropriate Chinese visa.
US citizens may learn they are subject to an exit ban only when attempting to leave China and, in some cases, have no legal process to challenge the restriction in court. The advisory also says Chinese authorities have imposed exit bans on minors of US citizens whose relatives are under investigation and, in some cases, have demanded testimony or statements from US citizens as a condition for lifting the bans.
“Americans in (China) have faced interrogation, detention, and expulsion for alleged violations of national security laws,” a State Department spokesperson said. The spokesperson said this includes people with current or previous relationships with the US government, law enforcement, the US military, intelligence agencies, or people on US government-funded programs.
The guidance substantially expands its discussion of China's national security, counterespionage, and data security laws, saying they give Chinese officials broad discretion to classify documents, data, statistics, or other materials as state secrets, including retroactively. It warns that even routine business or research involving information that is publicly or commercially available in China could carry risks for foreign nationals.
The advisory adds a broader warning about electronic communications, telling Americans to assume Chinese security services can read their emails, text messages, and social media posts sent to or from China. Security personnel could detain or deport US citizens over private electronic messages critical of the Chinese government, the governments of Hong Kong or Macau, or the CCP, including messages sent from outside China.
