A United States government employee has been barred from leaving China while on a personal visit, the US State Department said on Monday, marking the latest flashpoint in the strained relations between Washington and Beijing.
The employee, who works for the US Patent and Trademark Office under the Department of Commerce, was reportedly subjected to an “exit ban” during a trip to China in a “personal capacity.” Washington has not disclosed the reasons for the ban but confirmed that it is closely monitoring the situation, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,” a spokesperson said, adding that US officials are “engaged with Chinese counterparts to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the employee, a Chinese-American man, had been blocked from leaving China after allegedly failing to disclose his government employment on a visa application. Citing unnamed sources, the report said the man, a naturalized US citizen, was detained in Chengdu, Sichuan, in April over what Chinese authorities claim are “actions harmful to national security.”
The development comes amid mounting tensions between the US and China over espionage accusations. On the same day, Beijing confirmed it had imposed an exit ban on Chenyue Mao, a US citizen and banking executive, citing her involvement in an unspecified criminal case. Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice announced that a dual US-Chinese citizen, Chenguang Gong, pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets related to missile-tracking technology from a Los Angeles-based firm.
