China has issued a pair of travel warnings for the United States, warning its citizens that they could be subjected to police harassment and fall victim to criminals.

The Foreign Ministry warned citizens Tuesday that Chinese nationals traveling to the U.S. are "repeatedly harassed" by law enforcement agencies through "border interrogations, "drop-in visits and various other means." The ministry urged Chinese citizens to step up the safety awareness and respond “actively and appropriately."

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a separate travel warning citing a high frequency of shootings, robberies and thefts in the U.S.

Tuesday's alerts were issued a day after the education ministry warned that Chinese students and academics are facing strict visa restrictions imposed by the U.S. government, including delays or even rejections in receiving a visa.

The warnings come amid a sharp erosion of bilateral ties between Beijing and Washington amid a months-long trade war that has led to a series of retaliatory tit-for-tat tariff increases.

The two global economic superpowers have held numerous talks aimed at resolving their differences, but U.S. President Donald Trump recently boosted taxes on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods after accusing Beijing of reneging on promises to make structural changes to its economic practices.

The Trump administration has also banned American companies from doing business with Chinese technology giant Huawei, alleging the company's technology could be used to spy on Americans for the Chinese government - allegations which Huawei has repeatedly denied. </s> BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China warned its companies operating in the United States on Tuesday they could face harassment from U.S. law enforcement agencies, as it also rebuffed U.S. criticism of a trade white paper as “singing the same old tune”.

Relations between the world’s two largest economies have nosedived in recent months due to a bitter trade war, U.S. sanctions against Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and U.S. support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan.

Tensions rose sharply in May after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration accused China of having “reneged” on its previous promises to make structural changes to its economic practices.

Washington later slapped additional tariffs of up to 25% on $200 billion of Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to retaliate.

After having warned Chinese students and academics on Monday about risks involved in studying in the United States, the government on Tuesday widened its warning to include Chinese companies and tourists.

“In recent days, there have been incidents of gun violence, robberies and thefts in the United States,” China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism said.

“The department reminds Chinese tourists to fully evaluate the risks of going to the United States, to understand the maintenance of public order of their destination, the laws and regulations, and to conscientiously raise their awareness of safety measures to ensure their safety.”

Chinese companies and citizens in the United States should also be aware of harassment from law enforcement agencies, China’s Foreign Ministry added.

Trump’s administration said on Monday that China was pursuing a “blame game” in recent public statements and a weekend white paper that misrepresented the trade negotiations.

In a joint statement, the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office and the U.S. Treasury reiterated their view that China’s negotiators had “back-pedalled” on important elements of a deal that had been largely agreed, including on an enforcement provision.

“Our insistence on detailed and enforceable commitments from the Chinese in no way constitutes a threat to Chinese sovereignty,” USTR and the Treasury said. “Rather, the issues discussed are common to trade agreements and are necessary to address the systemic issues that have contributed to persistent and unsustainable trade deficits.”

RISING ACRIMONY

China on Sunday issued a government policy paper on the U.S.-China trade dispute in which it asserted that the United States bore responsibility for setbacks in the talks, citing three instances in which Washington had backtracked on commitments made during the negotiations.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters that the United States was “singing the same old tune”, and urged Washington to read China’s white papers and stop telling itself it is infallible.

Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, a prominent member of Beijing’s negotiating team, said in presenting the paper to the media that it would be impossible for the United States to use “extreme pressure” to force concessions from China.

Acrimonious rhetoric between Beijing and Washington has steadily increased since talks broke down in early May over U.S. accusations that Beijing had backtracked on commitments to codify in law changes to its intellectual property and technology transfer practices to address U.S. demands.

Flags of U.S. and China are displayed at American International Chamber of Commerce (AICC)'s booth during China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, China, May 28, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

“The United States is disappointed that the Chinese have chosen in the ‘White Paper’ issued (on Sunday) and recent public statements to pursue a blame game misrepresenting the nature and history of trade negotiations between the two countries,” USTR and Treasury said in the statement.

The agencies, which have taken the lead in negotiations for the U.S. side, said that the impetus for the negotiations was China’s “long history of unfair trade practices” and U.S. negotiating positions have been consistent throughout the talks.

There have been no talks scheduled since the last round ended in May, and it remains unclear whether Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet when they both attend the G20 leaders summit this month in Japan. </s> Image copyright Getty Images

China has warned its citizens to "fully assess the risks" of travelling to the US given recent "shootings", as tensions between the superpowers rise.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism warned of threats such as robbery and gun violence, state media said.

China's foreign ministry also said US law enforcement agencies have been "harassing" its citizens with interrogation.

It comes amid a power struggle between China and the US over trade.

The US reignited the trade war with tariff hikes in May, and broadened the conflict by blacklisting Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Both sides have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars of each other's goods over the past year, disrupting trade and hurting the global economy.

What exactly did China say?

"Recently there have been shootings, robberies and thefts happening frequently in the US. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reminds Chinese tourists to fully assess the risks of going to the US for travel," said an anchor on Chinese broadcaster CCTV, according to a Reuters translation.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press conference the warning was "necessary in light of current circumstances".

"For some time, US law enforcement agencies have been harassing Chinese citizens with interrogation upon entry or exit, and on-site interviews, among other forms," he said, according to China's foreign ministry website.

"Therefore the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the tourism reminder, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy and consulates in the US decided to issue the safety reminder to raise safety awareness. That, I believe, is what a responsible government should do."

What's behind the US-China tensions?

The US accuses China of playing unfairly in trade for years and says tech company Huawei poses a risk to its national security.

The Chinese refute this and increasingly see US moves as an attempt to curb China's growing global influence.

Only recently, the world's two largest economies seemed to be nearing a deal. But while negotiations were still ongoing, the Trump administration accused China of reneging on its promises and more than doubled tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods.

It also added Huawei to a list of companies that American firms cannot trade with unless they have a licence.

China has retaliated with some tariff hikes of its own.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Why the US-China trade war will hit most of our pockets

Even though there are no known talks scheduled for now, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump are expected to meet at the G20 meeting of leaders in late June.

Analysts are not optimistic about the prospect of a breakthrough, particularly after both sides recently pointed fingers at one another for the trade impasse. </s> Fourteen people were murdered in just 36 hours in the Mexican city of Cancun last week.

All are considered to have been cartel-related but they were dangerously close to popular tourist hotspots. On April 4 alone, nine people were killed and one person was shot.

Five of them were killed in a home where neighbors said the occupants were drug dealers. Another three were killed standing outside a tamale stand next to a clothing store.

On Thursday April 5, another five were murdered in separate incidents in the city, Noticaribe reports.

The spate of violence is the worst in the city since 2004 and occurred as thousands of tourists partied in the town's notorious hotels, bars and clubs for Spring Break.

According to the office of Civil Protection, 112,000 people flocked to Cancun for the holiday.

On April 11, in a separate incident, a woman's body was found in the street with a 'message' left on it.

She had been shot several times in the face.

Since the start of the year, more than 100 people have been shot in the party town.

Earlier this year, locals told SBS the extent of the problem across the country.

'It's not nice to walk in the street and find someone's head. It's very sad to know that your friends have been executed.

'Medics, taxi drivers, doctors, business people - no social class is exempt,' Laura Cabellero, a businesswoman from Acapulco, said.

Acapulco is on the other side of the country where gang violence was mostly contained.

In the last year, the number of murders in Cancun have doubled.

It is enough to prompt warnings from the British foreign office about travelling to the popular holiday destination.

In March, the US State Department issued a warning about the resort of Playa Del Carmen which sits in between Cancun and the celebrity-magnet resort Tulum.

The warning was directed towards ferries between Playa Del Carmen and the snorkelling-hub Cozumel after a boat exploded mid-journey.

Authorities later found explosives on another boat. It is not clear if they were planted.

The advisory was lifted afterwards and there are no warnings in place regarding Cancun or the recent gun violence.
China expands its warnings about travel to the U.S. issued for students and academics yesterday, to now cover tourists and businesses because, "in recent days, there have been incidents of gun violence, robberies and thefts in the United States".