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China Extends Exit Ban to U.S. Patent Official in Trade Dispute

The U.S. has pressed China to lift exit bans ahead of an August trade deadline.

Victor and Cynthia Liu
People's Liberation Army soldiers stand guard in Tiananmen Square at the end of the flag raising ceremony as China marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic, in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
A Chinese flag flutters on top of the Great Hall of the People ahead of the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), to mark 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, in Beijing, China October 18, 2023.
People walk in the departures hall at Beijing Capital International Airport, in Beijing, China, on January 8, 2023.

Overview

  • Chinese authorities stopped a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office staffer in Chengdu on April 14, seized his passport, phone, credit cards and iPad, and have not lifted his exit ban.
  • Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaku confirmed that Wells Fargo executive Mao Chenyue faces a separate exit ban tied to her involvement in a criminal case that requires her cooperation with investigators.
  • A U.S. State Department spokesperson told the Associated Press that Washington is pressing Chinese counterparts to resolve both cases and called them evidence of Beijing’s arbitrary enforcement of exit bans.
  • The State Department warns that Americans may first learn of exit bans only at Chinese ports of entry and have limited legal options to contest the blocks.
  • The travel restrictions have intensified scrutiny of China’s use of exit bans as a diplomatic tool ahead of an August 12 tariff truce deadline, with average U.S. duties on Chinese goods at 53.6 percent and threats of higher levies if negotiations stall.