Two American siblings allowed to return from China after three years after exit ban was lifted

by



[ad_1]

In June 2018, Chinese authorities imposed an “exit ban” on Victor and Cynthia Liu, both US citizens, while they were visiting their families in China. A State Department spokesperson said they “welcome the return of Cynthia and Victor Liu to the United States on Sunday.”

“Our consular staff in Shanghai helped facilitate their departure,” the spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that he made the confirmation after close consultation with the family.

The lifting of the exit ban on Victor and Cynthia Liu, both US citizens, follows an agreement between the US Department of Justice and Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou to defer prosecution of US charges against her until ‘at the end of 2022. The deal allowed Meng, who had been detained in Canada, to return to China. Beijing also released two Canadian citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, after Meng’s release.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Victor and Cynthia Liu returned to the United States after Chinese police lifted travel restrictions, insisting the ban was a “independent judicial act” based on China’s “rule of law”.

“The handling of the Two Liu case was an independent judicial act. China is a country of law,” Hua said. “Anyone, regardless of nationality, as long as they are suspected of illegal crimes, should be prohibited from leaving the country according to law, and Chinese law enforcement will deal with this according to the law.”

Victor and Cynthia Liu declined to comment.

In August 2019, Georgetown student Victor Liu told CNN his family was being held in order to pressure their father Liu Changming, a high-profile Chinese fugitive, to return to Beijing, where he remains. wanted for financial crimes. Cynthia and Victor Liu both said their father abandoned the family years ago and that they were not in contact with him.

The mother of Liu siblings, Sandra Han, was separated from her children in 2018 and remains in China.

The brother and sister publicly pleaded their fate, and Cynthia Liu wrote a letter to Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat, asking for his help. They also appealed in 2019 to then-President Donald Trump for help.

Markey and fellow Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren on Monday welcomed the Liu siblings’ return to the United States in a joint statement, saying they were “being held in China as pawns for the Chinese government.” Senators also said they would work with the Biden administration to secure their mother’s release.

A bipartisan group of senators, including Markey, reintroduced legislation in April that would revoke or deny visas to Chinese officials “involved in formulating or carrying out a policy that prevents innocent US citizens from leaving China.”
In a travel advisory issued in 2019, the State Department cautioned US citizens against China’s “coercive” use of exit bans.

The State Department spokesman said on Tuesday, “We oppose the use of coercive exit bans against people who are not themselves accused of crimes.

“We will continue to defend the interests of all American citizens in (People’s Republic of China) subjected to arbitrary detentions and coercive exit bans,” they said.

This story was updated with additional details on Tuesday.

[ad_2]

Source link