State Department Confirms China Kept US Citizen From Leaving (1)

The US State Department confirmed that a US Patent and Trademark Office employee has been barred from leaving China, and said officials were working to resolve the situation.

The department said the employee was “made subject to an exit ban” while traveling in China “in a personal capacity.”

“We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,” the department said.

The statement confirmed earlier reports in the Washington Post and elsewhere that China had stopped the US citizen from departing for several months. The Post said the ban ...