SEATAC, Wash. — The Chinese government issued a travel warning for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Thursday after about 20 Chinese academics with valid visas were questioned and denied entry, according to a Chinese agency. 

In the advisory, the Chinese Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the scholars were traveling to the United States with valid visas to attend an academic conference. Upon arriving at SEA Airport, officials said the academics were “unreasonably questioned and denied entry by Customs and Border Protection officers.”

The Chinese government is now urging travelers to avoid entering the United States through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

In a statement to KING 5, Customs and Border Protection could not confirm the denials and said, “Without specific dates, it is difficult to determine. Have you asked the Chinese government when it allegedly occurred?”

The Port of Seattle, which owns and operates SEA Airport, said the process for entry of international visitors is solely controlled by Customs and Border Protection.

“As a public-use airport subject to federal regulation, the Port does not have control over operations or entry requirements for arriving international passengers. This process is exclusively controlled by Customs and Border Protection,” the Port said. “We expect that all arriving passengers to SEA are treated with dignity, respect and fairness in line with our Welcoming Port Policy.”

Gary Locke, a former U.S. ambassador to China and former Washington governor, said the denial of entry is concerning amid fragile U.S.-China relations.

“The turning away of these academics at [SEA Airport] is quite unusual,” Locke said. “To get a visa to come to the United States, these academics not only had to apply at a U.S. Embassy or U.S. consulate in China, but also had to be thoroughly approved, vetted and investigated in Washington, D.C.”

In August 2025, the same department issued a similar advisory for Chinese scholars and students traveling to the United States, saying:

“U.S. border and immigration law enforcement agencies have repeatedly subjected Chinese students and scholars to lengthy and unwarranted interrogations and harassment at border crossings and have subsequently deported them. These actions by the U.S. have severely damaged the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars and have affected normal personnel exchanges and educational and academic exchanges between China and the U.S. China firmly opposes this and has lodged a strong protest immediately.”