China Blocks US Commerce Department Official, Wells Fargo Banker From Leaving Country

Last Updated:July 22, 2025, 21:45 IST

The US State Department is monitoring the situation closely where two American citizens were handed exit bans.

A police officer orders passengers off the plane before all other passengers without explanation while the plane is parked on the tarmac at Urumqi airport, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE/REPRESENTATIVE)

Beijing has placed a US Department of Commerce employee under an exit ban, preventing him from leaving China since mid-April, according to a report by CBS News which quoted the US State Department.

The unnamed employee, reportedly on a personal trip, had his passport, credit cards, cellphone and iPad seized by Chinese officials in Chengdu on April 14, according to documents cited in a separate report by The New York Times.

Although his belongings were returned after a week, Chinese authorities informed him that he was barred from leaving the country. The State Department confirmed the exit ban and said it was “tracking this case very closely" while engaging with Chinese counterparts.

Separately, China confirmed it has also placed a US-based Wells Fargo executive, Mao Chenyue, under an exit ban.

At a press conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiaku refused to comment on the Commerce Department case but maintained that Beijing “upholds the rule of law". According to the broadcaster’s report, Guo confirmed that Mao Chenyue, a US citizen and senior executive at Wells Fargo, is facing criminal charges in China and remains subject to an exit ban.

Mao, a Managing Director based in Atlanta, heads Wells Fargo’s international factoring business and was born in Shanghai.

Wells Fargo told the broadcaster that it is “closely tracking this situation and working through the appropriate channels" to help Mao return to the United States. The US State Department said it had no higher priority than the safety of American citizens but declined specific comment on Mao’s case, citing privacy considerations.

The twin cases have put renewed spotlight on China’s opaque use of exit bans, often imposed without prior notice or legal clarity. According to the US State Department’s travel advisory, Americans may only learn of such restrictions when they attempt to leave the country, that too with little or no recourse through Chinese courts. The advisory also warns that US citizens of Chinese descent may face added scrutiny.

These incidents come at a sensitive juncture in US-China ties, with a looming August 12 deadline for a new trade deal. President Donald Trump, in his second term, has escalated tariffs on Chinese imports, sparking a tit-for-tat tariff war. While both sides declared a temporary truce for talks, risks for American businesses in China have been mounting.

The latest exit bans echo concerns raised last year when Chinese authorities raided several US firms in Beijing.

Beijing, China

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