China urges travelers to avoid Seattle airport after 20 scholars were denied entry to the US
SEATTLE (AP) — Chinese government officials are encouraging travelers to exercise caution and avoid entering the United States through Seattle, citing persistent harassment by U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel.
About 20 visa-holding Chinese scholars recently flew out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to attend an academic conference, China Consular Affairs said in a statement. a post on x said the scholars were “unreasonably supervised” by CBP personnel and denied entry.
Emails seeking more information and comment were sent Thursday to federal agency spokespeople, the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., and its consulate in San Francisco.
The post stated that due to the constant harassment of Chinese scientists at the airport, the state department and embassy appeal to citizens with plans to visit the United States to do so with a safety and security mindset and to stay away from the Seattle airport.
The state department also urged travelers from China to be knowledgeable and prepared regarding entry regulations into the United States.
“If you encounter questioning by US enforcement personnel, you should handle it calmly and rationally,” according to a translation of the tweet.
Seattle was the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the country by Chinese population, with approximately 166,000 residents in 2019. Pew Research Center.
