Tensions between the US and China are strained more than ever as China advised some state-run enterprises to avoid business trips to the US and its ally countries or to take extra precautions to protect their devices if they need to travel.
State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), the government arm that oversees state-run companies, has told the firms to take only secure, company-issued laptops when travelling overseas.
People familiar with the matter claimed that the travel warning is extended to US allies or countries in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing pact: Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Moreover, employees are asked to have their company verify the files that they will bring during the trip and store them only on secure USB drives.
Apart from the trade wars, the fight among the countries is exacerbated by the arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada last month on behalf of the US. A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian man to death for drug trafficking after a one-day retrial.
Canada and China have both issued travel alerts, against each other, to their citizens. It is unspecified until when the travel warning will apply.
"As long as foreigners, including Canadians, abide by the law, their freedom and safety are guaranteed," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing yesterday.
