The Chinese government has prevented a US federal employee from leaving China, the US State Department confirmed. The individual, who works for the US Patent and Trademark Office, was visiting China in a personal capacity. A State Department spokesperson said, 'We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.'
Chinese authorities also confirmed that Chenyue Mao, a Wells Fargo banker and naturalised US citizen of Chinese descent, has been subjected to an exit ban. The exact reasons for the federal employee's ban remain unclear, but the Washington Post reported that the worker failed to disclose his government employment on his visa application and had previously served in the US Army. This is reportedly the first time a US government employee has been affected.
Exit bans are a controversial mechanism used by China to bar individuals from leaving for reasons ranging from criminal investigations to diplomatic leverage. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said he had 'no details to share' about the federal employee's case but confirmed Mao's ban, stating she was involved in a criminal case and obliged to cooperate with an investigation. Wells Fargo has since banned all employees from travelling to China.
A 2023 report by Safeguard Defenders noted 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. The bans have been applied to activists, journalists, and family members of individuals of interest to the Chinese government.
