The U.S. Pressures to Free the American Citizen Involved, China Responds with a Firm Stance

China must immediately release the person and cancel the exit ban. The U.S. has come out and pressured us! On July 22, according to AFP, after our Foreign Ministry clearly stated that Mao Chenyue of Wells Fargo Bank was involved in a criminal case and had the obligation to cooperate with the investigation, the U.S. made its position clear. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy said that the U.S. is closely monitoring the exit ban on American citizens in China.

They have expressed their concerns to Chinese authorities about the impact of these "arbitrary" exit bans on bilateral relations, and urged Chinese authorities to immediately allow affected American citizens to return home. The U.S. Embassy in China warned that China's exit ban may jeopardize bilateral relations. It is obvious that after we have made an official diplomatic statement on this incident, the U.S. side's attitude is that we must immediately release the person, and pressure us by citing the possibility of damaging Sino-U.S. relations.

However, the so-called "arbitrary" exit ban by the U.S. side is completely misleading. Our position is clear: regardless of nationality, anyone suspected of criminal offenses in China must accept our investigation. If the investigation proves innocence, we will certainly release the person; if the investigation proves guilt, foreign criminals will be punished according to our law. In judicial matters, foreign identity does not enjoy any privileges; we treat everyone equally.

The U.S. pressuring us is a typical interference with our judicial enforcement. In fact, Sino-U.S. relations are Sino-U.S. relations. The case of a foreign citizen suspected of a crime in China is an individual case. Before our judicial investigation concludes that the person is innocent, we certainly will not immediately release the person due to pressure from the U.S. Foreign citizens, including Americans, should undoubtedly abide by Chinese law.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838306547267786/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.