American siblings return home after China lifts exit ban

BEIJING (AP) – A pair of American siblings have returned home after China lifted a travel ban following Canada’s release of a top Chinese tech executive wanted in the US on charges of fraud.

The State Department said Cynthia and Victor Liu returned to the United States on Sunday after consular workers in Shanghai helped facilitate their departure.

“We welcome the return of Cynthia and Victor Liu to the US on Sunday,” said the ministry in an undated statement.

Two Canadians held in China were also allowed to leave after Canada released Huawei manager Meng Wanzhou on Friday.

Liu siblings reportedly traveled to China with their mother Han Tong in mid-2018 to visit a sick relative, but were then prevented from leaving the country in an attempt to pressure their father Liu Changming to return to China. where he’s wanted for money laundering. Han was arrested after arriving in China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying defended the travel bans as legal and necessary to investigate her parents’ cases.

“In order to find out the truth, the Chinese police have restricted their travel from China,” said Hua at a daily briefing on Tuesday.

“Given the progress of the investigation, the police lifted the restrictions by law in September 2021,” said Hua. “The processing of the cases is lawful and an independent judicial process.”

No information was immediately available about the progress of the investigation or the whereabouts of Han Tong and Liu Changming.

The US State Department statement said Washington opposes the application of “forced exit bans against those not charged with crimes” and will continue to campaign “on behalf of all American citizens in (China), the arbitrary detention and forced exit bans subject. ”

As a rationale for the travel ban, Hua cited Chinese administrative laws that prevent foreigners from leaving the country if they are “sentenced to criminal sentences that have not been completed or to suspects or accused in criminal matters other than those who have been convicted “. and transferred within the framework of relevant agreements between China and abroad. ”

It was not clear if the liu met either of these conditions.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman – the highest-ranking US official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office – raised the issue of travel bans in talks with Chinese officials in July.

“I took the opportunity to press for the release of US and Canadian citizens who are arbitrarily detained or banned from leaving the country,” Sherman said in an interview.

“People are not trading chips,” she added.

In an obvious prisoner exchange, two Canadians held in China were also allowed to leave the country after Huawei manager Meng was released. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor were arrested a few days after Meng’s arrest and charged with endangering China’s national security. Spavor was sentenced to eleven years in prison.

While Beijing denied any connection between the cases, many countries described China’s actions as “hostage policy”. The couple were isolated in facilities with lights on 24 hours a day while Meng stayed in one of their luxury villas in Vancouver.

China had long called for the unconditional release of Meng, also the daughter of the Huawei founder, and denounced her detention as a form of personal persecution to thwart China’s rise as a global technology power.

49-year-old Meng reached an agreement with federal prosecutors that the fraud charges against her would be dismissed next year and that she would be able to return to China immediately. As part of the deal known as the Deferred Prosecution Agreement, she assumed responsibility for misrepresenting the company’s dealings in Iran.

As part of the deal with Meng announced in federal court in Brooklyn, the Justice Department agreed to dismiss the fraud allegations against her in December 2022 – exactly four years after her arrest – provided she met certain conditions, including not contesting any of the Government assertions of fact. The Justice Department also agreed to drop its request for Meng’s extradition to the US, which she had vigorously contested, ending a process that prosecutors said could have lasted months.

The Biden White House, meanwhile, has maintained a tough line against Huawei, the world’s largest communications equipment company, and other Chinese companies whose technology is seen as a threat to national security.

Huawei has repeatedly denied the US government’s allegations and security concerns regarding its products.

Chinese officials also appear to deny Meng’s admission of responsibility, saying she pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.