China’s recent exit bans on two American businesspeople do not raise the travel risk for US-based executives, as neither case appears “geopolitical or retaliatory”, an American trade advocacy group has said.
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“The risk of exit bans, detentions, or other complications has not changed for most travellers,” according to the US-China Business Council, though it acknowledged that the high-profile cases had led companies to reassess their travel procedures to limit risks.
In July, Beijing said it had barred a senior Wells Fargo executive from leaving the country over a criminal investigation, prompting the American bank to suspend all business travel to the country.
Three months earlier, an employee of the US Patent and Trademark Office was also banned from leaving China during a personal visit to relatives.
“Both situations appear to follow existing enforcement patterns and do not portend higher than usual travel risk for American executives,” the report’s authors said.
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Chinese criminal or civil law cases have been “historically common reasons” for exit bans, according to the August 22 report. Probes into a company’s business associates, including suppliers and customers, may “create complications” for travelling employees.
