By Diane Foley, President and Founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation
Americans who travel abroad depend on clear warnings before danger becomes personal. I know what it means to wait, plead, and hope after a loved one is taken overseas. In 2014, after my son, American journalist James Foley, was kidnapped and murdered by ISIS while reporting in Syria, I established the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation to help ensure that Americans understand the risks they face abroad and to advocate for those who are unjustly detained. That is why I am concerned that the current U.S. travel advisory for China does not fully reflect the risks created by China’s own actions: arbitrary detention, coercive exit bans, and the wrongful detention of Americans. The Foley Foundation’s research and the cases of Min Zin and Dr. Youlin Chen show why the U.S. should consider raising the travel advisory level unless Beijing releases every American it unjustly holds and ends its use of arbitrary detention and coercive exit bans.
China has a long history of detaining Americans, yet the public warning does not fully reflect that record. Foley Foundation research shows that since 1998, China has unjustly detained more Americans than Russia—42 versus 17—and has held them for an average of almost five years, compared with averages of 2.5 years for Russia and 1.5 years for Iran.[1] Yet Russia and Iran carry Level 4, “Do Not Travel” advisories and “D” indicators highlighting the risk of wrongful detention, while China remains at Level 2, “Exercise Increased Caution.”[2],[3] Too many Americans considering travel to China may not recognize that they could face arbitrary detention, coercive exit bans, or unjust imprisonment. After China released Pastor David Lin, Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung in 2024, the U.S. State Department removed the “D” wrongful-detention indicator from China’s travel advisory, explaining that it no longer assessed any Americans as wrongfully detained in China.[4] However, China continues to target and wrongfully detain U.S. nationals, demonstrating that Beijing has not changed course. Travel warnings should reflect current realities, not past successes. As U.S. and Chinese leaders prepare to meet, that reality deserves attention.
Today, the Foley Foundation assesses that at least 12 Americans are unjustly held in China. Dr. Youlin Chen, a seismologist from Massachusetts, and Min Zin, a U.C. Berkeley Ph.D. candidate, were detained in 2024 and 2026, respectively. Both were accused of espionage tied to their academic work. Dr. Chen was detained while visiting family; Mr. Zin was detained after being falsely lured to China to attend an academic conference. Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated both men as “wrongfully detained,” [5][6] reflecting the U.S. government’s conclusion that their imprisonment was not the result of a legitimate criminal process.
If scholars and visitors can become victims of wrongful detention, Americans deserve travel guidance that plainly reflects that risk. Given China’s recent actions and the threat of unlawful detention they pose to Americans, now is the time for the State Department to reassess its travel advisory for China.
Travel advisories are not diplomatic rewards or punishments; they should honestly reflect the risks Americans face. If Beijing wants to encourage greater travel, academic exchange, business engagement, and people-to-people ties with the United States, it should demonstrate through its actions that Americans will not face arbitrary detention, wrongful imprisonment, or coercive exit bans. Until then, U.S. travelers deserve guidance that reflects the realities China itself has created. Having lived through James’s kidnapping and murder abroad, I urge President Trump to press for the release of every single American unjustly held in China and to ensure that U.S. travel guidance reflects the true risks Americans may face when traveling there.
Having lived through James’s kidnapping and murder abroad, I urge President Trump to press for the release of every single American unjustly held in China and to ensure that U.S. travel guidance reflects the true risks Americans may face when traveling there.
[1] Based on a database maintained by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation. This database includes coercive exit ban cases.
[2] U.S. Department of State. Russian Federation Travel Advisory . December 29, 2025.
[3] U.S. Department of State. Islamic Republic of Iran Travel Advisory . December 5, 2025. https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/iran.html
[4] The Hill. Sarah Fortinsky, “State Department downgrades travel advisory for China,” Nov. 27, 2024.
[5] U.S. Department of State. “Statement from Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson on Wrongful Detention Designation for U.S. Citizen Min Zin.” News release. August 20, 2026.
[6] Reuters. Jonathan Landay, “China detains U.S. seismologist who has studied North Korean nuclear tests.” July 13, 2026 (updated July 14, 2026). Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Dr. Youlin Chen as “wrongfully detained” on March 19, 2026.
