US government worker, target of exit ban, prevented from leaving China for months: source
Beijing sometimes imposes travel restrictions on foreigners involved in business disputes but case may be first involving federal employee
An American citizen who works for the US government has been blocked from leaving China for months, possibly on national security grounds, after travelling there recently, the South China Morning Post has learned.
A source familiar with the matter said that a naturalised US citizen, originally from China, was detained by authorities upon landing in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in April.
The exact reason for the exit ban, as these restrictions are typically known, could not be confirmed, though the source said it related to actions Beijing deemed harmful to national security.
The Washington Post, reporting on the same incident and citing people familiar, said the employee was being held for failing to disclose on his visa application that he worked for the US government.
The individual, who previously served in the US Army, works for the US Commerce Department’s Patent and Trademark Office, but he had been on a personal trip to visit relatives. His wife is believed to live in the US.
The South China Morning Post is withholding his name out of concern for his safety and privacy while he remains in China.