DOS issues travel warnings for a REASON!!!
Americans who may be planning a trip to China are urged to take extra precautions, as U.S. officials warn travelers to “keep a low profile” while visiting the country.
The State Department recently updated its Level 2 “Exercise Increased Caution” advisory for mainland China, warning Americans about the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, exit bans and “the risk of unjust arrest or detention.”
U.S. citizens could be questioned or detained without being told what crime they are accused of — and without being given access to U.S. consular services, according to the advisory.
Full article, HERE from Fox News.
The official State Department warning page is HERE. This was a page I checked routinely prior to ANY trip abroad, including any countries I was travelling through.
One thing that has been added is the warning about being careful about what you say and share electronically while traveling. I know folks who go to China for work, and they carry a stripped business computer and a burner phone, neither of which has ANY personal data on it.
And when they come home, those are turned in to the company and either rebooted (the computer), or destroyed (the phone). Some folks have even gone as far as deleting any capability to connect to any network anywhere, to prevent inadvertent malware injections.
Of note, phones are notorious, especially if you charge it with a charging cable plugged into a ‘free’ charger. Always use a standard cube that plugs into the wall, not those free chargers!!!
Just for ‘grins’ I pulled this from the United Kingdom TA (e.g. England)…
If you decide to travel to the United Kingdom:
- Be aware of your surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and crowded public venues.
- Follow the instructions of local authorities.
- Check local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive alerts. It makes it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Review the Country Security Report for the United Kingdom.
- Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
- Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel and return to the United States.
- We highly recommend that you buy insurance before you travel. Check with your travel insurance provider about evacuation assistance, medical insurance, and trip cancellation coverage.
Enjoy your trip, but planning will make things better for you and those you travel with! And, if you’re smart, you’ll come home on time, too!!!
The best advice I know of is to just stay here in the good old USofA. There is plenty to see right here!
!Ditto! I used to desire seeing UK but no more.
Me three. America, The Beautiful is vast and has everything I want. While never a big international traveler, I am done with visiting outside the USA.
Just remember, Muslims have set up enclave areas in all kinds of countries. Know where they are, know the cooper color code for mindsets, and keep your head on a swivel. They’re looking to kidnap Americans, don’t give them an easy target. Watch how the locals dress, walk, and act. Visit a thrift store, pick up similar clothing, and practice the mannerisms.
Grey man for the win.
That is a large part of what got me flagged during a month long visit in Eire. Grey man, he must be up to something. Yes, I was closely watched, especially when I spent several days over the border in Belfast.
I know I was watched because when I returned to the U.S., I was sequestered behind a black curtain wall seated in a metal chair for seven hours. Either of two agents dressed in identical black suits would tag team to ask direct, succinct questions about my whereabouts when abroad. They knew when and where I had been.
The locals where I mainly stayed eyed me with suspicion and would early break off my attempts of conversation. It wasn’t like that at first but it became that way evermore over time.
The bus at the border crossing into Northern Ireland was stopped. Of a bus packed with travelers, I was singled out. The tried to be discrete but I thought it obvious.
The very same treatment when arriving by ferry back to Holyhead in Wales. This time three uniformsd cops and two plainclothes pointed fingers and gaze at me. One snapped a head shot photo of me.
Oh, and State isn’t wrong about China and the CCP. They practice kidnapping diplomacy ALL THE TIME. It’s one of the many ways they get concessions. All of the news references I can find date back to 2021 when Canada had about 115 of our citizens held in Chinese prisons on various charges. I’m sure there are some that are legit, but China uses obviously false charges, too. They do not care one whit about justice, only power.
Don’t go to China. As the one South Korean in what became a meme accurately said: “Don’t trust China! China is Asshoe!”
A friend, a US civilian contracting to DOD, among others. 80,000+ miles per year travel, mostly to China. He had been ‘detained’ about fives times over the years. Burner phone and clean computer are standard.
On the “China is Asshoe!” front. If you are traveling to/around South and East Asia you should take care checking the routing when booking flights. It is possible to accidentally end up changing planes in either Hong Kong or mainland china, even though you thought you had booked your fights using, say, Delta thanks to codeshare routes.
That’s not a thing you want to do.
If you do end up changing planes there your checked luggage will be searched at a minimum. I would expect any electronics in said bags to be compromised. Maybe they will just copy the data they can from them. Maybe they’ll do more. And of course even though you are not passing through immigration if they want to detain you they can.
My kid was supposed to teach for a year in China but was dismissed after nine months as she was unwilling to lie about not having a Master’s. She had some interesting tales about the culture there. I have no desire to visit.
Wireless charging also avoids the potential USB threat.
John/Houston- Agreed, but a lot of folks don’t have that option yet…
Ag- Good points on BOTH comments, thanks!
Robert- Oh yeah, I can imagine!
TOS- Good point!
I think you mean reinstall the OS on the laptop, not simply rebooting.