China warns travellers to avoid Seattle airport after academics denied entry to US
About 20 Chinese scholars going to conference harassed and interrogated at border, Beijing says
China has advised its citizens travelling to the US to avoid a Seattle airport, citing “malicious interrogation and harassment” of some 20 Chinese academics.
The Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday that the academics had valid visas and were going to a conference but were denied entry after “unreasonable interrogation” by US border officers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The ministry said that any citizens planning to travel to the US in near future should improve their awareness of security, avoid Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and “carefully review US entry regulations in advance to make all necessary preparations”.
The travel reminder, issued by the foreign ministry and Chinese diplomatic missions in the United States, was made “in light of consecutive incidents of malicious interrogation and harassment targeting Chinese scholars” at the Seattle airport, the notice added.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond immediately to a request for further comment.
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