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China exit bans weigh on Western business

Jul 20, 2025, 6:09pm EDT
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Xi Jinping
Maxim Shemetov/File Photo/Reuters

Two Americans were reportedly blocked from leaving China, moves that could hinder Beijing’s effort to reassure foreign firms it is open for business.

Wells Fargo suspended all executive travel to China after a US-based banker was banned from leaving, while a Chinese American man visiting family was stopped after failing to disclose that he works for the US Commerce Department, The Washington Post reported.

China wants more foreign investment, but the incidents underscored Western firms’ trepidation around doing business there, The New York Times wrote.

The actions also come at a fraught time for US-Sino relations as geopolitical competition and an escalating global trade war weigh on the superpowers.

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