Chenyue Mao, a US federal employee and Wells Fargo banker, has been blocked from leaving China by the Chinese government. The US state department confirmed that the federal employee works for the US Patent and Trademark Office and was visiting China in a personal capacity. The Chinese government uses exit bans as a controversial mechanism to bar both Chinese citizens and foreigners from leaving, for reasons ranging from criminal investigations to unsettled civil disputes. The exact reasons for the federal employee’s exit ban are unclear, but the Washington Post reported that he was stopped from leaving the country after he failed to disclose his government employment on the visa application. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman confirmed the exit ban on Mao, 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 since Mao was stopped from leaving. 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.
China is preventing a US federal employee from leaving the country. Linh #21.07.2025
