U.S. considers relaxing warnings for Americans traveling to China | Wilnesh News

The United States is considering easing warnings against its citizens traveling to China, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday, acknowledging concerns that the warnings could limit interactions between Americans and Chinese people.

After months of heightened tensions, lines of communication between Washington and Beijing have largely normalized, Campbell said at an event hosted by the nonprofit National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

However, he also warned that China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine puts the stability of the relationship between the two countries at risk.

The U.S. State Department regularly issues graded warnings to Americans traveling to China, calling on them to reconsider visiting or be more cautious because of the risks of “arbitrary enforcement of local laws,” exit bans and wrongful detention.

But the two presidents have sought to rebuild people-to-people exchanges as a backbone in the growing geopolitical competition between the superpowers.

Asked whether the U.S. would relax its warnings, Campbell said: “I don’t want to go too far, but I’ll simply say it’s certainly an issue that’s being actively considered.” He said he accepted the premise that they hinder academic and other exchanges.

China has also issued travel warnings to the United States and criticized U.S. agents for increasing harassment of Chinese citizens at ports of entry, a charge U.S. officials deny.

Despite China’s warnings, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students are still studying in the United States, while only a few hundred Americans are in China.

But the U.S. State Department’s No. 2 diplomat has said China helped Moscow “reorganize” and rebuild its military after early setbacks in the war in Ukraine, and sternly warned Beijing against providing “substantial” support for Russia’s war effort.

“We have told China directly that if this continues, it will have an impact on the U.S.-China relationship. We are not going to sit back and say everything is fine,” Campbell said.

Campbell said if Russia gained territory in Ukraine, it would change the balance of power in Europe in a way that would be unacceptable to the United States.

“We will not view this as just a unique Russian series of activities, but as a joint series of activities supported by China and North Korea,” he said.

Campbell also said that “hundreds of thousands” of Chinese immigrants may have fled China’s weak economic conditions and come to the United States in recent months. Beijing is aware of this but does not appear to have taken measures to limit the flow of people.

“Frankly, the numbers we’re seeing are large and increasingly concerning,” Campbell said.