China advised its citizens to reconsider visiting or studying in the U.S., a sign that Beijing might be targeting the lucrative tourism and education sectors as it tries to pressure Washington in their trade dispute.
Chinese government ministries issued several advisories this week about going to the U.S. On Monday, the Education Ministry cited delays and rejections by the U.S. in issuing visas; it urged “students and scholars to strengthen risk assessments before going abroad to study.”
And Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry noted many complaints from Chinese citizens about interrogations by U.S. law-enforcement agents when entering, leaving and while inside the U.S., and it advised Chinese traveling to the U.S. to raise their safety awareness. A spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism also issued a safety warning, citing America’s frequent “shootings, robberies and thefts.”
The U.S. Embassy declined to comment.
