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.
Advertisement
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 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 Post is withholding his name out of concern for his safety and privacy while he remains in China.
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.
Advertisement
Since being held in Chengdu, he has travelled to Beijing, accompanied by a US official, though his current whereabouts are unknown. At one point, according to the source, the individual’s US passport was taken from him, but it has since been returned.