The US State Department warned American citizens on Saturday to "exercise increased caution" in China due to heightened risk of arbitrary law enforcement including detention and a ban from exiting the country.
"US citizens may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime," the State Department said in a security alert issued to its citizens in China, adding that US citizens may face "prolonged interrogations and extended detention" for reasons related to state security.
"Security personnel may detain and/or deport US citizens for sending private electronic messages critical of the Chinese government," it added, without citing specific examples. The state department also did not say what prompted the security alert.
The security alert comes as bilateral tensions intensify over issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, trade, the new Hong Kong security law and allegations of human rights violations against Uighurs in the Xinjiang region.
Washington and Beijing recently exchanged visa bans against each other's officials, underscoring the deteriorating relations.
The Chinese foreign ministry could not be immediately reached for comment outside of business hours on Saturday. Beijing called on Wednesday a similar warning issued by Australia about the risk of arbitrary detention in China "completely ridiculous and disinformation."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
US, China Must Be Partners, Not Rivals: Xi Jinping Tells Antony Blinken China Accuses US Of Hypocrisy Over Joe Biden "Xenophobic" Claims US, China Defence Chiefs Hold Talks For First Time In 18 Months Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Opposes Karnataka's Job Quota Bill, Minister Responds On Camera, Jagan Reddy's Party Member Hacked To Death On Busy Andhra Road QS Executive MBA Rankings 2024: IIM Bangalore Tops Among Indian Institutes US Cop Who Laughed After Indian Student Jaahnavi Kandula's Death Fired Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.