FILE PHOTO: U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross testifies before a Senate Finance hearing on "Current and Proposed Tariff Actions Administered by the Department of Commerce" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday downplayed talk that President Donald Trump’s administration is poised to warn Americans against traveling to China.

“I’m not so sure what provoked the rumor about the travel advisory,” he said in an interview with CNBC, but thought China’s detention of a former Canadian diplomat might have spurred discussion of a warning. “We haven’t made any announcement and as far as I know haven’t made any decision about changing travel advisory.”

On Tuesday, two sources said the U.S. State Department is considering issuing a travel warning for its citizens.