China urges its citizens to completely avoid airport in famously woke US city after ICE repeatedly 'harassed' its scholars

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 21:46, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 21:47, 17 April 2026 China has told its citizens to not enter the US through a famously liberal city after claiming that more than a dozen scholars were harassed by border control officers. The China Consular Affairs account said Thursday on X that about 20 Chinese scholars had recently traveled to the US for academic conferences. When they arrived at the Seattle airport, they were 'subjected to unreasonable questioning' by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, per a translation of the tweet that was given a thumbs up by the Chinese government account. The scholars were then allegedly denied entry, according to the X post. Government officials urged Chinese citizens to 'avoid entering the country through this airport.' They further instructed citizens to respond 'calmly and rationally' if ever questioned by American law enforcement. The spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the US, Liu Pengyu, told the Daily Mail on Friday afternoon: 'For some time now, the US has overstretched the concept of national security for political manipulation and groundlessly interrogated and harassed Chinese scholars and students.' He added that 'these moves infringe on Chinese citizens' legitimate and lawful rights and interests, poison the atmosphere of people–to–people and cultural exchanges between China and the US and create a serious chilling effect.' Chinese government officials have urged citizens to avoid entering the US through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing in mid-May, marking a US President's first visit to China since 2017 ‘We firmly oppose that,’ the Chinese Embassy spokesperson told the Daily Mail. The statement continued: ‘China urges the US to stop any discriminatory law enforcement targeting Chinese scholars and students in the US. ‘China will continue to take what is necessary to firmly defend Chinese citizens’ legitimate and lawful rights and interests.’ In the Chinese government’s original post on X, it had also asked citizens to ‘strengthen their awareness of security precautions.’ It urged travelers to ‘learn the US entry regulations in detail in advance so as to make full preparations,’ as well. No further details were provided about the alleged rejection at the airport. Seattle is one of the top ten cities in the US by Chinese population with about 166,000 residents, according to the Pew Research Center. It is also among the most liberal cities in the US, having recently elected ultra-progressive candidate Katie Wilson as mayor. More than 55.5 percent of Seattle adults were Democrats or leaned blue, according to the Seattle Times.  The Port of Seattle, which owns and operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, told the Daily Mail on Friday that questions should be directed to CBP 'as they manage entry into the country - not the airport.' The Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, directed all questions to CBP The Chinese government claimed that about 20 scholars had been turned away from the Seattle airport (Photo of a security checkpoint at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) Chinese researcher Danhao Wang died after falling to his death at the University of Michigan on March 20, which Chinese government officials said came after 'hostile questioning' ‘As a public-use airport subject to federal regulation, the Port does not have control over operations or entry requirements for arriving international passengers,’ the statement added. The airport reiterated that ‘this process is exclusively controlled by [CBP].’ It also said that it ‘reaffirms its commitment to being a welcoming gateway for people and commerce.’ There was no further information to provide about the allegations described by the Chinese government officials, a spokesperson added. The airport warning comes just weeks before US President Donald Trump is set to visit Beijing in May. It also follows the death of Danhao Wang, a Chinese researcher at the University of Michigan who died March 20 after falling to his death on campus. Police said they were investigating his death as a 'possible act of self-harm,' while the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed Wang, whom they did not name, took his own life after 'hostile questioning by US law enforcement.' His death ‘call[ed] into question once again the impact and legitimacy of unwarranted US interrogation and harassment targeting Chinese researchers and students,’ Chinese government officials said last month on X. The Daily Mail has reached out to US Customs and Border Protection for further comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. 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