BEIJING (Reuters) – A Wells Fargo banker, Chenyue Mao, who had been barred from leaving China for several months, has been allowed to return to the United States following negotiations between U.S. and Chinese officials, according to two people with knowledge of the case.
Mao, who works in Wells Fargo’s international factoring business, was prevented from leaving China due to her involvement in a criminal case, China’s Foreign Ministry said in July. The ministry said Mao had been required to cooperate with an investigation.
Wells Fargo, the White House and the U.S. State Department, as well as China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Mao did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Her exit ban had revived fears that employees of foreign firms risk entanglement with Chinese authorities, a tactic Beijing has a tendency to reach for when tensions are running high with trading partners, business groups and diplomats say.
The Washington Post first reported that Mao had left the country.
Mao has been with Wells Fargo for over a decade, according to her LinkedIn profile.
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom & Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and Shri Navaratnam)
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