Exit bans are a new tool in China’s global coercion campaign.
By Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
In its ongoing campaign to extend its reach beyond its borders, the
Chinese government has found a new form of leverage: American citizens
in China.
Last year, Beijing prevented several U.S. citizens from
leaving China, including a pregnant woman, according to email
correspondence obtained by The Daily Beast. The total number of
so-called exit bans placed on U.S. citizens in China is unknown, but at least two dozen cases have occurred within the past two years, according to one analyst’s estimate.
Chinese
authorities typically target U.S. citizens of Chinese heritage for exit
bans, usually in connection with an investigation. Sometimes, Beijing
uses American citizens to try to coerce family members residing in the
United States to return to China or to cooperate with Chinese
authorities in investigations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has championed a sweeping anti-corruption campaign with an international element, known as “Operation Fox Hunt,”
aimed at pursuing Chinese citizens who have fled abroad after allegedly
committing economic crimes. The United States does not have an
extradition treaty with China and in the past has rarely cooperated
with Chinese demands to repatriate Chinese citizens whom Beijing
considers to be fugitives. Beijing has previously deployed undercover
agents to the United States to coerce targets into returning to China,
violating U.S. visa laws and prompting U.S. government indignation.
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Source: The Daily Beast
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