Trump Admin Responds to US Government Worker Banned from Leaving China
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it is "tracking very closely" the case of a U.S. government employee barred from leaving China, signaling growing concern over Beijing's continued use of exit bans to restrict foreign nationals. The individual, who works for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office under the Commerce Department, was traveling in a personal capacity when Chinese authorities blocked their departure.
Without naming the employee, the State Department emphasized that officials are actively engaged with their Chinese counterparts to resolve the situation swiftly. "The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens," a spokesperson said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump (L) speaks as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on during a meeting with Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in...
US President Donald Trump (L) speaks as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on during a meeting with Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2025.China has long employed exit bans for individuals involved in legal or business disputes, but U.S. officials and human rights advocates have criticized the practice as opaque and arbitrary. In response to these risks, the U.S. government had previously advised Americans to reconsider travel to China—an advisory only eased late last year after the release of three long-detained U.S. citizens.
This latest incident comes amid renewed scrutiny of China's exit ban policies, including the high-profile case of Chenyue Mao, a U.S.-based Wells Fargo banker recently barred from leaving the country. While the State Department declined to comment on Mao's case, citing privacy concerns, Wells Fargo said it is working through appropriate channels to secure her return.
A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry claimed Mao is involved in a criminal case and is under "exit restrictions in accordance with the law," adding that China "welcomes" foreign visitors and respects their rights. On the case involving the U.S. government employee, the spokesperson offered no further details but said China handles entry and exit matters "according to law."
China's use of travel restrictions has previously stranded Americans for extended periods. In one case, two American siblings were unable to leave the country for three years before they were allowed to return to the U.S. in 2021.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump says Japan, US to form LNG joint venture
By Yuka Obayashi and Katya Golubkova TOKYO (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Japan will form a joint venture to develop a liquefied natural gas project in Alaska though a Japanese government official said he was not aware of such plans. It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring specifically to the proposed $44 billion Alaska LNG project. That project would consist of an 800-mile (1,300-km) pipeline carrying gas to a planned liquefaction plant for export. Trump's announcement of the venture came in comments to lawmakers at the White House where he discussed his trade deal with Japan. "We concluded the one deal ... and now we're going to conclude another one because they're forming a joint venture with us at, in Alaska, as you know, for the LNG," Trump told the lawmakers. "They're all set to make that deal now." The METI official, who oversees resource development, said the agency is working to confirm Trump's comments. Several companies from Japan have expressed an interest in buying LNG from the project, along with Thailand's PTT and India's GAIL. JERA and Tokyo Gas, Japan's two biggest LNG buyers, have expressed their interest in the Alaska LNG project but said they would need to assess specific conditions, including costs, before moving forward. But when asked about the joint venture mentioned by Trump, a JERA spokesperson said they could not confirm it. A Tokyo Gas spokesperson declined to comment, saying the company is not involved in a joint venture for LNG in Alaska and is not familiar with the details. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Equinor makes $955 million US offshore wind writedown
By Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) -Norway's Equinor said on Wednesday it booked a $955 million impairment on an offshore wind project in the United States, despite the lifting of an earlier ban on its construction by President Donald Trump's administration. In April, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the administration of former President Joe Biden had failed to conduct enough environmental analysis ahead of approving the Empire Wind development in New York state. He shut down the project, dealing a blow to the U.S. offshore wind industry. But a month later, Burgum lifted the stop-work order on the project, in a compromise with the state that could also see cancelled plans for a gas pipeline revived. On Wednesday, Equinor's reported net operating income for the second quarter fell due to having to book a near-billion dollar impairment on its U.S. offshore wind projects. "This is impacted by an impairment of $955 million due to regulatory changes causing loss of synergies from future offshore wind projects and increased exposure to tariffs," Equinor said in a statement on Wednesday. "Of this, $763 million is related to Empire Wind 1/South Brooklyn Marine Terminal project and the remainder is related to the Empire Wind 2 lease." Equinor, majority-owned by the Norwegian state, had won a federal lease for Empire Wind in 2017 under Trump's first administration and secured approval for its investment plans during Biden's time in the White House in 2023. But on the first day of his second term in January this year, Trump ordered a review of offshore wind permitting and leasing, although many analysts had still believed fully-permitted projects to ultimately be safe. The total book value after the latest impairments was $2.3 billion, it said on Wednesday. With a planned installed capacity of 810 megawatts, the project could generate enough electricity to power half a million homes a year and was expected to begin operating in 2027. Equinor on Wednesday reported declining core second-quarter results, as expected, due to lower oil prices. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
CNBC
17 minutes ago
- CNBC
CCTV Script 21/07/2025
Many analysts have pointed out that the issue of "inflation" has become a key focus for Japanese voters in the Upper House Election. In June, Japan's core CPI, excluding fresh food, rose by 3.3% year-on-year, significantly exceeding the Bank of Japan's 2% target. Additionally, although the price of rice has declined from its year-on-year surge of 101.7% in May, it remains at a high three-digit level. "The whole election is about inflation. People are hopping mad about the size of the inflation at the moment, rice is up 100.2% year on year. Japan has just had its biggest wage hike since 1991 and the whole of that has been washed away by the rise in inflation." In response to the rising prices, the ruling coalition led by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and the opposition parties have proposed opposing plans. The opposition parties advocate for reducing the consumption tax to alleviate the pressure of rising living costs, while the ruling coalition favors issuing one-time cash subsidies, arguing that this approach is easier to implement quickly. They also emphasize that consumption tax revenue is a crucial source of funding for Japan's social welfare system. It must be acknowledged that this issue is indeed tricky. There is a generational divide among the Japanese public regarding whether to lower the consumption tax. Recent polls by Nikkei and Tokyo Broadcasting System show that younger Japanese are more inclined to support tax cuts, while older generations prefer maintaining the status quo to safeguard social welfare. The current unfavorable election prospects for Japan's ruling party could also impact U.S.-Japan trade negotiations. Prime Minister Ishiba is facing widespread skepticism both within and outside his party, raising doubts about whether he can fulfill the commitments on the trade talks with the U.S. Analysts point out that under the current circumstances, Japan is unlikely to secure a favorable position in trade talks with the United States. For example, U.S. President Trump has been pushing for Japan to further increase its imports of American rice. However, analysis indicates that Japan currently allows a maximum of 770,000 tons of duty-free rice imports annually, nearly half of which already come from the U.S. Therefore, under the existing framework, Japan has limited room to increase the imports further. Any additional concessions would require broad consensus and support within the ruling party. "LDP is now losing the elections. It's not so popular. So which means, at this moment, he's not in a position to make a bold vision to open the country for agriculture products. That's a concern." In addition, experts caution that automobiles are the key battleground in U.S.-Japan trade talks. It's important to note that cars and auto parts account for as much as 80% of Japan's trade surplus with the U.S. If the U.S. imposes tariffs on Japan's automotive industry, it could severely impact Japan's car exports, thereby affecting Japan's overall exports and the domestic economy. Analysts also point out that, regardless of whether Prime Minister Ishiba remains in office, Japan may face dual challenges in both politics and the economy in the future. '…if Ishiba survives, you have a crisis Because you have a leader who really has lost the confidence of the public and lost the confidence of much of much of his own party, and isn't able to get anything through the diet. But even if you get a new leader, and you get maybe an expanded coalition, you're still not looking at, you know, it's going to be a weak they're going to be dealing with a real, you know, potentially serious economic blow."
