Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Mandarin article.
The U.S. State Department has added a wrongful detention warning to its travel advisory for mainland China, cautioning that Americans face a serious risk of being detained without a fair legal process.
The advisory, updated October 19, keeps China at Level 2 — “Exercise Increased Caution” but adds a “D” risk indicator for wrongful detention.
The advisory warns that Chinese authorities may enforce local laws arbitrarily and impose exit bans without a fair and transparent legal process.
In an emailed statement to VOA, the State Department said it had determined that “Americans are at serious risk of wrongful detention in China.”
“The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA, adding that the administration was committed to securing the release of Americans wrongfully detained overseas.
The department identifies several groups that may face heightened risks, including Americans of Chinese descent, people involved in business disputes, and those with current or past ties to U.S. law enforcement, the military, intelligence agencies or the federal government.
The House Select Committee on China called the new “D” indicator “a serious warning to all Americans” in a social media post Tuesday.
Wrongfully detained Americans
The State Department has formally designated two U.S. citizens detained in China as wrongfully detained: Chinese American seismologist Chen Youlin and Myanmar-born American scholar Min Zin.
Chen had worked with Chinese researchers on a U.S. government-funded public research project examining seismic signals from underground nuclear tests in North Korea.
Chinese authorities arrested Chen on November 5, 2024, as he prepared to return to the United States after visiting family in China. On May 1, 2025, China accused him of espionage. The State Department designated his case as wrongful detention in March 2026.
Min Zin, who studies Myanmar politics and China-Myanmar relations, was detained by Chinese authorities after traveling to China’s southern Yunnan province for a conference in June this year. Beijing accused him of suspected espionage that endangered China's national security. The State Department designated his case as wrongful detention on August 20.
The designations make securing the release of both men a U.S. government priority.
Families urge more pressure
President Donald Trump said he raised the cases of detained Americans and Chinese political prisoners with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their White House meeting at the end of September.
The State Department also confirmed to VOA that Washington had directly raised Chen's and Min Zin's cases with Beijing.
Chen's wife, Rong Yufang, welcomed the updated travel advisory in a written statement sent to VOA through Global Reach, a nonprofit organization working to secure her husband's release.
“I am grateful to Secretary Rubio for taking this action,” she said. “He has tried for months to quietly resolve my husband’s wrongful detention in China, and President Trump has even asked President Xi twice about Youlin.”
Aung Maw Zin, Min Zin’s brother, told VOA on Wednesday that “we are glad to see this small but important step that could help ensure that no other American family has to endure the nightmare our family has been living through since June.”
The United States previously placed China at Level 3, with a “D” indicator for wrongful detention. The advisory was downgraded to Level 2 and the indicator removed on November 27, 2024, after three Americans detained in China for years were released in a prisoner exchange between Washington and Beijing.
Upcoming summits could bring renewed pressure
Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer at Global Reach, told VOA that the espionage allegations against Chen were fabricated.
Lebson said Trump could press for a resolution when he meets Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen and the G20 meeting at Mar-a-Lago over the next two months.
“President Xi can expect President Trump to continue raising the need to resolve this case while the State Department increases the costs associated with holding two U.S. citizens,” Lebson said.
Beijing has rejected allegations of wrongful detention, maintaining that its judicial authorities handle cases in accordance with the law.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington has yet not responded to VOA's request for comment.