US lawmakers want sanctions over Americans trapped in China by exit bans
- At least two dozen US citizens prevented from leaving China over past three years, senators say in statement
- Proposed legislation would deny or revoke visas of Chinese officials involved in planning and execution of ‘exit ban’ policy
A bipartisan group of senators has proposed legislation that would impose sanctions on Chinese officials involved in enforcing exit bans on US officials in China.
Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Ed Markey introduced the legislation after writing to President Donald Trump to urge him to press Beijing to free detained Americans and US residents, including those targeted by exit bans.
“It is immoral and unjust that the Communist Chinese government uses so-called ‘exit bans’ to prevent American citizens from leaving China. We must protect our citizens and ensure that they are able to return home when they travel abroad,” Rubio said in a statement on Wednesday.
Markey highlighted the case of two of his Massachusetts constituents, Victor and Cynthia Liu, who had been “unfairly” barred from leaving China since June 2018.
“In addition to having their lives upended by not being able to return home, they face regular surveillance, harassment, and threats from Chinese authorities,” he said.