China says U.S. move to raise travel warning is inappropriate

BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States’ decision to raise its warning level for travel to China is not in line with the facts and is inappropriate, a spokeswoman at the Chinese foreign ministry, Hua Chunying, said on Friday on the ministry’s website.

The World Health Organization has urged countries to avoid travel restrictions, but the U.S. State Department has now raised its warning level on travel to China to the same level as for Iraq and Afghanistan.

The United States and other countries are taking measures to prevent the spread of coronovirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has now killed some 213 people, all in China so far. It has affected more than 9,800 people globally.