A US government employee has been prevented from leaving China after visiting the country for personal reasons. The employee, who works for the US Patent and Trademark Office, an agency within the US Department of Commerce, was subject to an “exit ban” while traveling in China in a “personal capacity”.
The US Department of State confirmed the exit ban, stating, “The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens.” A State Department spokesperson said they are tracking the case closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
The employee, a Chinese-American man, was reportedly barred from leaving China after failing to disclose his work for the government on a visa application. According to reports, he had traveled to China several months ago to visit family. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that the man, a naturalized US citizen, was detained in Chengdu, Sichuan, in April over “actions Beijing deemed harmful to national security”.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, “China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law.” Exit bans are frequently imposed by Chinese authorities on individuals under investigation or assisting with government probes. These bans can last for months or even years as investigations progress. Western officials and human rights organizations assert that exit bans have become more prevalent in China, often used to facilitate criminal investigations, intimidate dissidents, and exert leverage in disputes involving foreign companies and governments.
This is not an isolated incident, as several cases of exit bans have been reported in recent months. A senior executive at the American risk advisory firm Kroll was prevented from leaving mainland China in 2023. Michael Chan, a managing director based in Hong Kong, was assisting with an investigation dating back several years. Similarly, a Wells Fargo employee, Chenyue Mao, an Atlanta-based managing director, was subject to an exit ban due to her involvement in an unspecified criminal case.
The US and China have long traded accusations of espionage and meddling in each other’s domestic affairs. In a separate case, a Chinese-born US researcher 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 over 3,600 company files to his personal storage devices during his employment with a Los Angeles-based research and development firm.