US officials say the Chinese government has stopped an employee of the US Patent and Trademark Office visiting the Asian country in a personal capacity from leaving.
The State Department said on Monday it was monitoring the case “very closely” and had spoken to Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
The individual’s name and whether the person was detained were not disclosed. The US Patent and Trademark Office is part of the federal Department of Commerce. It did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said he did not have specific details to provide when asked about the case during a regular press briefing on Tuesday.
“China is a country ruled by law, and all matters concerning entry and exit are handled according to the law,” he said.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that a US citizen who works for the Commerce Department had travelled to China several months ago to visit family. The man was prevented from leaving the country after he failed to disclose on his visa application that he worked for the US government, the newspaper said, citing sources.
Beijing has used exit bans on both Chinese and foreign nationals in connection with civil disputes, regulatory enforcement and criminal investigations. Analysts say the tactic is at times used to crack down on local dissent and also as diplomatic leverage in disputes with other nations.
Washington and Beijing have had friction for years over issues ranging from tariffs to the origins of Covid-19 and Taiwan.
Chenyue Mao, a Wells Fargo banker, has also been blocked from leaving China. Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Monday that she was involved in a criminal case and obliged to cooperate with an investigation.
Mao was the latest of several executives from foreign corporations to be stopped as they tried to depart China.
The US bank suspended all employee travel to China after Mao’s exit ban, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last week, saying Mao was a US citizen.
- Reuters with additional editing by Jim Pollard
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