A spokesman for the United States Embassy in Beijing said United States officials were aware of the detentions and were “monitoring the situation.”The police in Zhenjiang did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Thursday. In January, the State Department issued a travel advisory for China, warning Americans, particularly those with dual Chinese-American citizenship, that they may be prevented from leaving China if they go there. The large network of English teachers in China, long a mainstay of the expatriate scene, appears to have come under particular scrutiny. Reports were widespread of foreign teachers working in China without proper visas. According to official estimates, while China had around 400,000 foreign citizens working in its education industry in 2017, only one-third had a valid work permit.

Source: New York Times October 17, 2019 11:41 UTC