China issues travel advisory for US

China issued a travel advisory Wednesday for citizens visiting the U.S.

The warning comes as a trade war has escalated between the nations, and as more scrutiny is being put on foreign nationals holding visas in the U.S.

“Recently, due to the deterioration of China-US economic and trade relations and the domestic security situation in the United States, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism reminds Chinese tourists to fully assess the risks of traveling to the United States and be cautious,” China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism Government released in a statement. 

Officials also urged students planning to study abroad in the U.S. to be cautious of safety risks.

Beijing imposed 50 percent retaliatory tariffs Wednesday on U.S. imports, which comes on top of a 34 percent levy introduced last week in a toe-to-toe battle with President Trump. 

"The U.S. is seeking hegemony in the name of reciprocity, sacrificing the legitimate interests of all countries to serve its own selfish interests, and prioritizing the U.S. over international rules. This is typical unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying,” Lin Jian, China's Foreign Affairs spokesperson said Wednesday during his daily press briefing.

“The abuse of tariffs by the United States is tantamount to depriving countries, especially those in the Global South, of their right to development,” he added.

At midday Wednesday, following China's tariff boost, the White House increased levies on imports from China to 125 percent.

“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately. At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social.

In the same post, the president announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for other countries that didn’t push back against the new U.S. trade policy.