Chinese and American executives have become more cautious when traveling after the December arrest of Huawei Technologies Co. executive Meng Wanzhou in Canada on behalf of the U.S., and the subsequent detention of two Canadian citizens in China. The U.S. has also stepped up efforts to catch and prosecute executives at Chinese companies that it alleges steal technology, which has resulted in several legal actions.

In January, state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. and its Taiwan-based partner United Microelectronics Corp. were the first companies indicted under the U.S. Justice Department’s new initiative. The companies pleaded not guilty. China has repeatedly denied accusations of trade secrets theft.

Meng was charged with conspiracy to defraud banks in relation to transactions that violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, an allegation that comes as the Trump administration seeks to limit Chinese telecom companies from dominating 5G wireless networks. She has denied wrongdoing.

Tensions between Beijing and Ottawa have also risen after a Chinese court sentenced a Canadian man to death for drug trafficking after a one-day retrial. The move prompted Canada to update its travel advisory for China, urging its citizens to “exercise a high degree of caution in China due to the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-15/china-said-to-ask-state-firms-to-avoid-travel-to-u-s-allies