U.S. Commerce Department employee remains trapped in China following his interrogation about military service, raising alarms over foreshadowed diplomatic rifts with Beijing.
Chinese Exit Ban on U.S. Government Employee Raises Diplomatic Tensions
Chinese Exit Ban on U.S. Government Employee Raises Diplomatic Tensions
Chinese intelligence scrutinizes American citizen as exit ban detains him since April.
In a troubling development, a U.S. Commerce Department employee, identified only as an American citizen, has found himself entangled in a precarious situation in China, where he has been barred from leaving the country since mid-April. This incident underscores ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Chinese governments amid allegations of espionage and aggressive intelligence practices by the Chinese state.
The employee, whose details remain undisclosed in a recently obtained State Department cable, ran into trouble during a visit to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, where he has family. According to the diplomatic document, Chinese officers with the Ministry of State Security interrogated him about his previous military service in the United States.
The cable outlined how the Chinese authorities confiscated the man's passport, credit card, cellphone, and iPad on April 14, only returning his passport a week later but stipulating that he could not depart from the country. His wife remains in the U.S., adding to the emotional strain of his situation.
U.S. diplomats have reportedly made attempts to facilitate his safe travel back to Beijing in May. However, as surveillance of the employee continued, the challenges in bringing a resolution to this matter have only intensified.
The public has only recently been made aware of the employee's plight, with various American news outlets reporting on it over the weekend. The State Department’s document sheds light on the clandestine operations of China's security apparatus, raising concerns regarding the implications for U.S.-China relations.
