US warns its citizens in China they risk ‘arbitrary’ arrest

The State Department warned US citizens living in or traveling to China they may face arbitrary arrest, the latest sign of deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing, reported Bloomberg.

Lead Paragraphs

'Exercise increased caution in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws for purposes other than maintaining law and order,”'State said in a travel advisory on its website that was also emailed to US citizens registered as being in China. 'This arbitrary enforcement may include detention and the use of exit bans.'

The warning, sent Saturday morning US time, says that Chinese security forces may “detain and/or deport” American citizens for “sending private electronic messages critical of” China’s government.

“U.S. citizens may be detained without access to US consular services or information about their alleged crime.

U.S. citizens may be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention for reasons related to ‘state security,’” the warning added.

Market implications

Tensions between the US and China have risen in the wake of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, the article noted.

President Donald Trump and other administration officials have blamed China for taking insufficient actions to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Trump said Friday that the US-China relationship is “severely damaged,” and that he is no longer thinking about a phase two trade deal to ease a tit-for-tat tariff standoff between the two countries.

The Global Times today has reported that a "US travel advisory on China, citing “arbitrary detention” as an excuse, is a blatant distortion of facts in a bid to hype up a “china fear” sentiment among Americans, which will push the two countries further apart on the decoupling track." 

The tensions are non-favourable for stocks and have been supportive of gold and the US dollar in the past.