American lawmakers and families of Americans detained by the Chinese authorities are urging the United States to raise the travel risk level to the highest level – Level 4, which is “Do Not Travel”, as they are concerned about the increasing risk of arbitrary arrests of Americans within China.
Former British journalist and private investigator Peter Humphrey stated during a congressional hearing on September 18 that “no one is safe in China – nobody.” Humphrey had been detained by Chinese authorities on suspicion of “illegally obtaining personal information of Chinese citizens” and was held in China for nearly two years.
The hearing invited four Americans whose family members had spent 8 years or longer in Chinese prisons. The recent release of American-Chinese pastor David Lin has once again brought attention to this long-standing issue. Lin had been detained by the Chinese authorities for 18 years.
The U.S. Department of State currently lists the travel risk level to China as Level 3, which advises U.S. citizens to “reconsider travel” due to the arbitrary enforcement of Chinese laws, including preventing individuals from leaving China and detaining them on dubious charges.
Witnesses at the hearing, as well as Chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) Chris Smith, emphasized the necessity of raising the travel warning level to Level 4 to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
The CECC was established by the U.S. Congress in 2000 to monitor human rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party. According to the committee’s data, the number of American citizens detained by the Chinese authorities exceeds that of any other country in the world. Humphrey’s statistics suggest that over two hundred Americans are currently detained, restricted from leaving, or subjected to other forms of coercive measures in China. Humphrey has been researching this issue since his release, and the human rights organization “The Dui Hua Foundation” has also conducted research on this matter.
Humphrey stated, “I believe they shouldn’t be detained. Whatever they are accused of, or even if they are guilty, is irrelevant because they have never been through a fair and transparent trial presided over by an independent judge.”
Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon believes that resolving the issue of Americans being detained in China is a crucial part of U.S.-China dialogue.
“When China (the CCP) seeks to improve relations with the United States because they rely on us in many ways, including selling products in our open markets, this gives us the leverage to demand changes in their practices and release those detained as a bargaining chip,” Merkley told The Epoch Times. “Regardless of how our relationship with China (the CCP) is in other aspects, this must be a core part of the dialogue.”
Representative Zach Nunn of Iowa described the issue as a strategically orchestrated move by Beijing to “establish a potential reserve of hostages to leverage for concessions in future events, gaining an upper hand over the United States.”
Nunn said that raising the travel warning level is just the first step, “but this is just a part of China (CCP) trying to counter the larger geopolitical game against the U.S.” He told The Epoch Times, “The number of Americans detained by China (the CCP) exceeds any other country in the world, and these individuals may be seen as political hostages, causing a ripple effect on every family, individual associated with them, and every entity in the U.S.”
Smith stated that he plans to introduce a bill to provide more resources for those with family members detained in China, help them resolve issues, and develop strategies to advocate for the freedom of their family members.
He said, “This is an infringement of Americans’ human rights that goes unpunished.”
Harrison Li’s father, Kai Li, a businessman, was accused by Chinese authorities of “espionage” and sentenced to 10 years in prison in Shanghai. UN human rights experts believe that the charge was arbitrarily fabricated. During the hearing, Harrison expressed that his father had suffered a stroke and lost a tooth while in prison.
Harrison shared, “Every day I wake up, thinking about him and the 7 to 11 other people cramped in that small cell, without air conditioning, unable to sleep in the summer heat, experiencing mental and physical agony, sends chills down my spine.”
Nelson Wells Jr.’s father, Nelson Wells Sr., stated during the hearing that Nelson Jr. was arrested at the airport after ending his trip in China in 2014. Chinese authorities claimed to have found drugs in a package of baking ingredients he was carrying. Nearly a decade later, Nelson Jr. is still detained by the Chinese authorities, suffering from chronic pain, seizures, malnutrition, severe depression, and thoughts of self-harm.
Similarly, Dawn Hunt was detained on similar charges. Her brother Tim Hunt pleaded with the committee to “bring her home,” his voice choked with emotion.
Tim explained that Dawn was led to believe she had won a cash prize and traveled to Hong Kong and mainland China where she received a luxury bag with drugs sewn into its lining. She is currently sentenced to death in Guangdong Province in southern China.
According to information provided by Dawn’s family, she was forced to manufacture lithium batteries in the early stages of serving her sentence. However, during their face-to-face meeting in June – the first in ten years – Tim noticed that her health had deteriorated significantly to the point where she couldn’t lift heavy objects due to concerns about uterine bleeding. Under the watchful eye of her guards, Dawn could not reveal much about her condition to her family.
Tim stated that the years in prison have left visible marks on Dawn.
He told The Epoch Times, “She looks completely different, even in her prison ID photo, I wouldn’t recognize the person sitting across from me.” He mentioned his sister’s gray hair, pale complexion, puffy eyes, and frail figure, saying, “I thought she had pasted someone else’s photo.”
Their father, who is 91 years old, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and the family fears whether they will be able to reunite before it is too late.
Tim said, “I’m doing this in hopes of fulfilling this wish, so they can reunite.”