By 中国新闻社
A US government employee has been barred from departing China after visiting the country for personal reasons, the U.S. State Department confirmed on Monday. The individual, who works for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office—part of the Department of Commerce—was placed under an “exit ban” by Chinese authorities while traveling in a personal capacity.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the State Department said: “The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens. We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”
The announcement follows a report published by The Washington Post on Sunday, which revealed that the U.S. Commerce Department employee—identified as a Chinese-American man—was prevented from leaving China after allegedly failing to disclose his employment with the U.S. government on his visa application. Citing four anonymous sources familiar with the case, the report stated that the man had traveled to China several months earlier to visit family.
Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post, based in Hong Kong, reported on Sunday that the man—a naturalized American citizen—was detained in April in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Sichuan province. According to the report, which cited an unnamed source, the individual was taken into custody over “actions Beijing deemed harmful to national security.”
In response to inquiries about the case, the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., referred Al Jazeera to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During a regular press briefing on Monday, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said he had “no details to share” on the incident. “China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law,” Guo stated.
Washington’s confirmation of the exit ban comes on the heels of Beijing’s recent move to block another American citizen from leaving the country. On Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry disclosed that Chenyue Mao—a managing director at the banking firm Wells Fargo and a U.S. citizen based in Atlanta—was also subject to an exit ban due to her alleged involvement in an unspecified criminal investigation.
The developments unfold against the backdrop of long-standing tensions between the United States and China, with both nations routinely accusing each other of espionage and interference in domestic affairs.
Also on Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Chenguang Gong, a dual U.S.-Chinese citizen and researcher, had pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets related to sensitive defense technologies. Prosecutors said Gong unlawfully transferred over 3,600 confidential files—including blueprints for infrared sensors used to detect nuclear missile launches and track ballistic missiles—to his personal storage devices while working for a research and development firm based in Los Angeles.
According to court filings, Gong had traveled to China multiple times before joining the U.S. firm, during which he sought financial backing for projects related to military-use technology.
These escalating cases underscore the deepening distrust between Washington and Beijing and highlight the growing risks faced by individuals with dual affiliations or sensitive professional backgrounds when traveling between the two countries.
