Wells Fargo director banned from leaving China

China announced Monday that a U.S. bank employee was banned from leaving the country, confirming press reports, with Beijing citing the measure as being linked to her involvement in a "criminal case." Wells Fargo bank said last week it was providing assistance to Chenyue Mao, a senior manager who entered China in recent weeks but is now unable to leave.

She is "involved in a criminal case being handled by the Chinese authorities," Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular press briefing. "Since the case is under investigation, Ms. Mao Chenyue cannot leave the country at the moment and is obliged to cooperate with the investigations," he added.

He did not provide details on the nature of the investigation or the charges. For its part, Wells Fargo did not provide further information on the case. Born in Shanghai and based in Atlanta, Chenyue Mao has been banned from leaving China, the Wall Street Journal revealed Thursday.

The incident prompted the San Francisco-based bank to suspend all business trips to China by its employees, according to several US media reports. "Whether a person is Chinese or foreign, in China, they must comply with Chinese laws. China will protect their legitimate rights and interests," said spokesperson Guo Jiakun, stating that it was an "individual" case.

"China will continue to welcome, as always, citizens of all countries wishing to travel and do business in China, and will protect their rights and interests in accordance with the law," he stressed.

Cases of foreign employees being prevented from leaving Chinese territory occur regularly. Last week, a Chinese court sentenced a Japanese employee of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas to three and a half years in prison for espionage.