China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a travel advisory, warning citizens against traveling to the U.S., effective until Dec. 31, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

What they're saying: "Noting the frequent occurrence of shootings, robberies and theft in the United States recently, the ministry warned Chinese tourists to fully assess the risks of traveling there," the news agency said.

Why it matters: China issued a similar travel advisory last year, but the latest one comes amid heightened trade tensions that show no sign of abating. In a separate advisory Tuesday, China warned Chinese firms operating in the U.S. they could face harassment from American law enforcement agencies, Reuters reports.

Context: Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing that difficulties Chinese citizens were facing in the U.S. was a key consideration of the latest alert, according to Bloomberg. Asked by reporters if the trade dispute was a factor, he said it was a response to "current circumstances," per Bloomberg.

The big picture: The U.S. and China have spent the past week blaming each other for the stalling of trade negotiations. On Sunday, China issued a "white paper" on the U.S.-China trade war in which it blamed the U.S. for negotiation setbacks in the talks, per Reuters.

The U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) office and the U.S. Treasury said in a joint statement Monday China had "back-pedalled" on key aspects of a deal that had largely been agreed to. Shuang told reporters in response the U.S. was "singing the same old tune," according to Reuters.

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