China has issued a travel warning for its citizens visiting the US, citing rising tensions over trade and concerns about public safety, in a move that could deepen hostilities between the world’s two largest economies.
The advisory by the culture and tourism ministry on Wednesday urged citizens to “fully assess the risks of travelling to the US and be cautious” in view of the “deterioration” in trade relations and “domestic security situation in the United States”.
The education ministry echoed this caution, advising students looking to study in the US to be alert to safety concerns and recent policy changes in the North American country targeting academic exchanges.
The advisory came amid a dramatic escalation in the ongoing trade war triggered by US president Donald Trump’s imposition of sweeping tariffs on the Asian giant.
After Mr Trump imposed a new tariff of 34 per cent on China earlier this month, taking the total to 54 per cent, Beijing retaliated with a 34 per cent levy on American goods. Mr Trump announced an additional 50 per cent tariff after China vowed to “fight to the end” and refused to withdraw its retaliatory levy, taking the effective tariff to 104 percent.
In response, Beijing on Wednesday imposed an additional 50 per cent duty on US imports. A few hours later the White House raised the tariff on Chinese goods to 125 per cent.
“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s markets, I am hereby raising the tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately,” Mr Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
At the same time, the president declared a 90-day suspension of tariffs on countries that had not retaliated against his levies, leaving in place a 10 per cent import duty on almost every country except China.
China’s foreign ministry accused the US of economic coercion.
“The US is seeking hegemony in the name of reciprocity, sacrificing the legitimate interests of all countries to serve its own selfish interests. This is typical unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying,” spokesperson Lin Jian said.
“The abuse of tariffs by the United States is tantamount to depriving countries, especially in the Global South, of their right to development.”
The US, on the other hand, has a level 2 travel advisory in place for China, advising its citizens to “exercise increased caution”, a softening of the level 3 “reconsider travel” warning issued previously.
The trade war between China and the US, escalated by Mr Trump’s levies, has rattled global markets and raised fears of an economic slowdown.
The Chinese finance ministry described the American tariff hikes as a “mistake on top of a mistake” and accused the US of undermining international trade norms.
“Until they make a deal with us, that’s what it’s going to be,” Mr Trump told supporters in a speech earlier this week. “I think that they will make a deal with us at some point. China will. They want to make a deal, they really do … they just don’t know how to get it started.”
