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The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
China blocks US federal employee from leaving
The Chinese government has blocked a US federal employee from leaving China, the US state department has confirmed. The federal employee works for the US Patent and Trademark Office, and was visiting China in a personal capacity, according to the state department. 'We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,' a spokesperson said. Chinese authorities confirmed that another American, Wells Fargo banker, Chenyue Mao, had also been blocked from leaving. Both individuals have been subjected to an 'exit ban'. Exit bans are a controversial mechanism used by the Chinese government to bar both Chinese citizens and foreigners from leaving, for reasons ranging from criminal investigations to unsettled civil disputes, but is also used as a leverage tool in diplomatic disputes. The exact reasons for the federal employee's exit ban are unclear, but the Washington Post had previously reported that the worker, whose identity has not been released, was stopped from leaving the country after he failed to disclose his government employment on the visa application. He reportedly had also served in the US Army. It has been reported as the first time a US government employee has been affected. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Guo Jiakun, said he had 'no details to share' about the case when asked at a regular press briefing on Monday. However, Guo did confirm the exit ban on Mao, saying she was involved in a criminal case and obliged to cooperate with an investigation. 'Chenyue Mao is involved in a criminal case currently being handled by Chinese law-enforcement authorities and is subject to exit restrictions in accordance with the law,' Guo said. Wells Fargo has since banned all employees from travelling to China since Mao – a naturalised US citizen of Chinese descent – was stopped from leaving. A 2023 report by Safeguard Defenders said that since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, 'China has expanded the legal landscape for exit bans and increasingly used them, sometimes outside legal justification'. Exit bans have been used against activists and journalists – including foreign correspondents – and family members of the people actually of interest to the Chinese government. In 2019 two American siblings were allowed to return home after three years trapped in China. Cynthia and Victor Liu were subject to an exit ban, despite not facing any criminal allegations. Their father, a former bank official and fugitive Liu Changming, was wanted in China to face fraud charges.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US government employee banned from leaving China
China Australia WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. government employee has been banned from leaving China after traveling there in a personal capacity, the State Department said Tuesday, marking the latest case where Beijing has stopped U.S. nationals from departing the country. The State Department did not reveal the identity of the employee at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which is part of the Commerce Department, but said it is 'tracking this case very closely' and that it is engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. 'The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,' it said. The Chinese government restricts people from leaving the country if they are involved in investigations, including business disputes, but it has been accused of using the tool to arbitrarily keep both Chinese and foreign nationals in the country. China's use of the exit ban and other concerns previously prompted the State Department to tell Americans to reconsider travel to China. The travel advisory was only eased in November after China released three U.S. citizens who were detained for years. It's one of the latest instances of such travel restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Chenyue Mao, a U.S.-based Wells Fargo banker, was blocked from leaving China, prompting the bank to suspend all travel to the country. Citing 'privacy and other considerations,' the State Department did not comment on Mao's case. Wells Fargo said Tuesday that it is 'closely tracking this situation and working through the appropriate channels so our employee can return to the United States as soon as possible.' Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Mao is 'involved in a criminal case currently being handled by Chinese law-enforcement authorities' and that she is 'subject to exit restrictions in accordance with the law.' 'Let me stress that it is an individual judicial case,' Guo said. 'China will as always welcome people from all countries to travel and do business in China and ensure their rights and interests in accordance with the law.' Asked about the case involving the U.S. government employee, Guo said: 'I have no details to share. China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law.' Other Americans have faced China's exit ban. Two American siblings were only allowed to leave China in 2021 after they were stranded there for three years after visiting their relatives. Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
China blocks US federal employee from leaving
The Chinese government has blocked a US federal employee from leaving China, the US state department has confirmed. The federal employee works for the US Patent and Trademark Office, and was visiting China in a personal capacity, according to the state department. 'We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,' a spokesperson said. Chinese authorities confirmed that another American, Wells Fargo banker, Chenyue Mao, had also been blocked from leaving. Both individuals have been subjected to an 'exit ban'. Exit bans are a controversial mechanism used by the Chinese government to bar both Chinese citizens and foreigners from leaving, for reasons ranging from criminal investigations to unsettled civil disputes, but is also used as a leverage tool in diplomatic disputes. The exact reasons for the federal employee's exit ban are unclear, but the Washington Post had previously reported that the worker, whose identity has not been released, was stopped from leaving the country after he failed to disclose his government employment on the visa application. He reportedly had also served in the US Army. It has been reported as the first time a US government employee has been affected. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Guo Jiakun, said he had 'no details to share' about the case when asked at a regular press briefing on Monday. However, Guo did confirm the exit ban on Mao, saying she was involved in a criminal case and obliged to cooperate with an investigation. 'Chenyue Mao is involved in a criminal case currently being handled by Chinese law-enforcement authorities and is subject to exit restrictions in accordance with the law,' Guo said. Wells Fargo has since banned all employees from travelling to China since Mao – a naturalised US citizen of Chinese descent – was stopped from leaving. A 2023 report by Safeguard Defenders said that since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, 'China has expanded the legal landscape for exit bans and increasingly used them, sometimes outside legal justification'. Exit bans have been used against activists and journalists – including foreign correspondents – and family members of the people actually of interest to the Chinese government. In 2019 two American siblings were allowed to return home after three years trapped in China. Cynthia and Victor Liu were subject to an exit ban, despite not facing any criminal allegations. Their father, a former bank official and fugitive Liu Changming, was wanted in China to face fraud charges.
Wall Street Journal
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Says Government Employee Blocked from Leaving China
China has blocked a U.S. government employee from leaving the country after the person traveled there in a personal capacity, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said. The employee of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was 'made subject to an exit ban in China,' a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy said Tuesday. 'We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.'
Al Jazeera
22-07-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
US government employee barred from leaving China, Washington says
A United States government employee has been prevented from leaving China after visiting the country for personal reasons, Washington has said. The employee of the US Patent and Trademark Office, an agency within the US Department of Commerce, was subject to an 'exit ban' while travelling in China in a 'personal capacity', the US Department of State said on Monday. 'The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,' a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. 'We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.' The statement comes after The Washington Post on Sunday reported that a Chinese-American man employed by the US Commerce Department was barred from leaving China after failing to disclose his work for the government on a visa application. The report, which cited four unnamed people familiar with the matter, said the employee had travelled to China several months ago to visit family. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on Sunday reported that the man, a naturalised US citizen, was detained in Chengdu, Sichuan, in April over 'actions Beijing deemed harmful to national security'. The Post's report cited an unnamed 'source familiar with the matter'. The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, referred Al Jazeera to remarks made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, on Monday, in which he said he had 'no details to share' on the case. 'China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law,' Guo said at a regular media briefing. Washington's confirmation of the exit ban comes after Beijing on Monday said it had blocked the departure of a US citizen employed by the banking giant Wells Fargo. China's Foreign Ministry said that Chenyue Mao, an Atlanta-based managing director, was subject to an exit ban due to her involvement in an unspecified criminal case. Washington and Beijing have long traded accusations of espionage and meddling in each other's domestic affairs. On Monday, the US Department of Justice said that a Chinese-born US researcher had pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets, including blueprints for infrared sensors designed to detect nuclear missile launches and track ballistic missiles. Prosecutors said Chenguang Gong, a dual US-Chinese citizen, transferred more than 3,600 company files to his personal storage devices during his employment with a Los Angeles-based research and development firm. Before taking up work with the company, Gong had travelled to China several times to seek funding to develop technology with military applications, prosecutors said.
