Washington: The United States is contemplating the relaxation of travel advisories for its citizens journeying to China, revealed Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Tuesday. Campbell acknowledged apprehensions that such warnings might have restricted interactions between Americans and Chinese nationals.
Speaking at an event organized by the non-profit National Committee on US-China Relations, Campbell noted the normalization of communication channels between Washington and Beijing after a period of heightened tensions. However, he cautioned that China’s support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine posed a risk to stabilizing relations.
The State Department has intermittently issued tiered warnings advising Americans traveling to China to reconsider their visits or exercise increased caution due to potential risks such as “arbitrary enforcement of local laws”, exit bans, and wrongful detentions. Nevertheless, the leaders of both countries have emphasized the importance of enhancing people-to-people exchanges as a means of managing escalating geopolitical competition.
“I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but I would just simply say that this is certainly an issue under active consideration,” Campbell remarked in response to queries about the potential easing of advisories. He acknowledged the notion that such advisories might have hindered academic and other exchanges.
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While China has issued its own travel advisories for the US and criticized what it perceives as heightened harassment of Chinese nationals by US authorities at ports of entry, US officials have refuted these allegations. Despite China’s warnings, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students continue to pursue studies in the United States, whereas only a few hundred Americans are in China.
However, Campbell, the State Department’s second-in-command, who previously stated that China assisted Russia in “retooling” and bolstering its military during the conflict in Ukraine, delivered a stark warning to Beijing regarding its “substantial” support for Russia’s actions.
“We have told China directly that if this continues, it will impact the US-China relationship. We will not stand idly by and pretend that everything is fine,” Campbell asserted.
He further emphasized that if Russia were to gain territory in Ukraine, it would disrupt the balance of power in Europe in a manner unacceptable to the US. Campbell added that such actions would not be viewed solely as Russian endeavors but as a collective effort supported by China and North Korea.
Moreover, Campbell highlighted the influx of potentially “hundreds of thousands” of Chinese migrants seeking refuge in the US due to economic challenges in China. He expressed concern that despite being aware of the situation, Beijing had not taken measures to stem the flow of migrants.
“The numbers that we’re witnessing are substantial and, frankly, cause for growing concern,” Campbell concluded.
