US govt employee banned from leaving China
PTI
Washington, Jul 22 (AP) A US government employee has been banned from leaving China after travelling there in a personal capacity, the State Department said Tuesday, marking the latest case where Beijing has stopped US nationals from departing the country.
The State Department did not reveal the identity of the employee at the US Patent and Trademark Office, which is part of the Commerce Department, but said it is 'tracking this case very closely" and that it is engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
'The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens," it said.
The Chinese government restricts people from leaving the country if they are involved in investigations, including business disputes, but it has been accused of using the tool to arbitrarily keep both Chinese and foreign nationals in the country.
China's use of the exit ban and other concerns previously prompted the State Department to tell Americans to reconsider travel to China. The travel advisory was only eased in November after China released three US citizens who were detained for years.
It's one of the latest instances of such travel restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Chenyue Mao, a US-based Wells Fargo banker, was blocked from leaving China, prompting the bank to suspend all travel to the country.
Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Mao is 'involved in a criminal case currently being handled by Chinese law-enforcement authorities" and that she is 'subject to exit restrictions in accordance with the law".
'Let me stress that it is an individual judicial case," Guo said. 'China will as always welcome people from all countries to travel and do business in China and ensure their rights and interests in accordance with the law." Asked about the case involving the US government employee, Guo said: 'I have no details to share. China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law." Other Americans have faced China's exit ban. Two American siblings were only allowed to leave China in 2021 after they were stranded there for three years after visiting their relatives. (AP) SCY SCY
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
10 minutes ago
- Time of India
MeitY wants tariff shield for electronics exports
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills India wants its fledgling electronics exports, dependent largely on the US markets for overseas earnings, to be treated differently from Washington-bound shipments from established global players, such as those based in China and Southeast Asia, when the Oval Office fixes tariffs for these product of electronics, lately undergirded by federal financial support in India, would require a relatively favourable tariff landscape to fill US retailing shelves against competition from established exporters from mainland China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia, said an official from the Ministry Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY)."The US is the largest destination for not only our overall electronics sector, but also for a range of individual electronic products,' said the official cited above. 'The large-scale production of many of these are now kicking in, due to government support over the past few years. It is crucial they don't face tariff barriers at this point, and we have communicated that to the Commerce Department."India's commerce ministry is at the vanguard of the ongoing Washington-New Delhi talks that would shape the final tariff landscape for bilateral trade. The MEITY official said it made the request to the commerce ministry for helping shield Indian electronics from the applicable continental tariffs dragnet during the recent inter-ministerial talks on the trade 2024, the United States imported a combined $478 billion of electrical machinery and electronics, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, an online repository of global trade data begun as a research project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. China (26.1 percent), Mexico (18 percent), Vietnam (8.8 percent), Taiwan (6.7 percent), and Malaysia (5.9 percent) made up the largest share of sectoral exports. Meanwhile, India was the 9th largest source of shipments, with a 3 percent a last-minute postponement, as was the case in early July, the US will levy 26% average tariffs on all goods imported from India beginning August 1, over and above a 10 percent baseline tariff imposed on most ' reciprocal tariffs ' initially announced by US President Donald Trump on April 2 would especially hit Indian electronics exports, which have historically had much lower or nil tariffs, officials said."While smartphones, computers, and semiconductors were temporarily exempted from the tariffs, the US had threatened separate, sector-specific tariffs on these until last month," said the official cited to the Commerce Department data, US-bound electronic exports stood at $15.89 billion in 2024-25, up 43.5 percent from $11.08 billion in the preceding year. Within this, smartphones and telecom instruments made up the largest chunk of exports at $10.56 billion, up from $5.56 billion in 2023-24. Smartphone exports shot up 89 percent in FY25, after rising 158 and 210 percent in FY24 and FY23, government is especially concerned about the second largest export sub-category within electronics, components, which tanked 32.7 percent to $1.81 billion in 2024-25, down from $2.69 billion in 2023-24. This is mostly due to a 43.85 percent slump in the export of photovoltaic cells (PVC) assembled in modules, or made up into panels, due to rising domestic production in the US, increasing competition by Chinese producers as well as increasing scrutiny of shipments from India and South East Asian countries at US ports to stop circumvention of Chinese goods, officials instruments exports stood at $1.4 billion, rising 12.10 percent from $1.25 billion in the preceding year. Also, computer hardware of $154.08 million was exported to the US, rising 51 percent from $101.5 million in 2023-24. Another area where the government hopes to raise exports is consumer electronics, which fell 5.3 percent in the latest year to $115 million.
Time of India
10 minutes ago
- Time of India
The AI startup dilemma: To pivot or perish
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills In the last few weeks, four Indian AI startups have announced that they are shutting in the face of challenges such as scaling up, raising funds and pivoting as technology shifts rapidly. This includes two Y-Combinator companies Wuri and CodeParrot as well as and This is not unusual in the world of startups. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 50% of the startups fail within five unlike the previous cycles, beyond operational challenges, these closures are coming amid rapid technological development in artificial intelligence.'Startups are shutting down quicker compared to before,' said a Bengaluru-based investor. Unlike previous technology cycles during which founders could continue running businesses for longer until they found the right fit, many now realize it's better to shut down and start afresh than burn money. AI startups for instance are being rendered obsolete, Tencent Investments managing partner Jeffrey Li told a recent in point, the sheer number of AI tools that are going out of the market. AI tool aggregation platform said that of the 4,956 added, 1,301 have been terminated. In 2025, 227 AI tools ceased operations. In order to win in the age of AI, startups should pivot fast as the technology becomes more commoditised, experts said. While technology is important, it's key to focus on the problem that's to be solved.'Right now is a very difficult time to be a founder because the developments are happening at such a rapid pace,' said Akshay Megharaj, founder of Wuri. People always seek inspiration from past experience, which is not possible due to the sheer nature of how the technology is developing, he said.'As much as artificial intelligence has made it easy to build products, the rapidly evolving technology is also making it challenging for startups to have a right to win,' said Naman Maheshwari, co-founder, Tune AI, an orchestration platform that closed recently. This means that companies need to pivot and fast, to stay more than anything, is a primary moat in the world of AI, said Sanjay Nath, co-founder and partner, Blume Ventures. He explained that even if a startup has a great product, if they don't keep pace with technology, they will be left behind by competitors, who may have 20% inferior product but execute 50% said, 'A large percentage of companies that we back at seed end up pivoting, and the ones that are agile and keep evolving are the ones that are likely to succeed in this crazy, fast-flowing environment.'The key is to find the right problem to build enduring companies, startups need to solve fundamental issues in the areas of healthcare, climate and sustainability, Google country manager Preeti Lobana said at the recently concluded Google I/O event in Bengaluru. A Bengaluru-based investor said, 'For most startups, AI is mostly an add-on. They need to ask themselves this question — are you solving a problem even if you take AI out of the equation.'
Mint
10 minutes ago
- Mint
Best stock recommendations today, by MarketSmith India
On Monday, Nifty 50 declined 0.63% pressured by continued weakness in banking, financial, IT, and energy stocks amid lackluster corporate earnings. Persistent foreign institutional selling, driven by valuation concerns, further weighed on the index. Additionally, global uncertainty surrounding the India-US trade negotiations and the absence of fresh domestic triggers contributed to subdued investor sentiment. With muted earnings momentum and caution prevailing across sectors, the market remained under pressure throughout the session, reflecting a broadly negative undertone. MarketSmith India's Best stock recommendations for today Buy: Cipla Ltd (current price: ₹1,572) Nifty 50: How the benchmark index performed on 28 July On Monday, the Nifty 50 opened on a weak note with a gap-down opening and remained under pressure throughout the session, forming a "lower-high and lower-low" price structure on the daily chart, indicating a sign of continued bearish momentum. Barring Pharma and FMCG, all major sectoral indices, including broader market segments, traded in the red. The volatility index, India VIX, spiked 7% on the third consecutive day, reflecting rising uncertainty. Market breadth was distinctly negative, with the advance-decline ratio skewed toward decliners at approximately 1:3. From a technical standpoint, the index is trading 1.48% below its 50-DMA, reflecting a clear negative bias. The relative strength index (RSI) continues to decline and has slipped below 37, signaling weakening momentum and a prevailing bearish trend. Additionally, the MACD has maintained its negative crossover and has now moved below the central line, further confirming the downside momentum. This overall setup indicates continued selling pressure and the potential for further weakness in the coming days. According to O'Neil's methodology of market direction, the market status has been downgraded to an "Uptrend Under Pressure" as Nifty breached its "50-DMA" and the "distribution day count" rising to five. Nifty 50 remained volatile with a negative bias on Monday, ending the session in the red. The overall trend and market sentiment are likely to stay weak as long as the index continues to trade below its 50-DMA. A sustained move below this level could trigger further downside, potentially dragging the index toward 24,200-24,000 in the near term. On the upside, strong resistance is seen at 25,000, followed by 25,300. How did Nifty Bank perform yesterday? On Monday, this major sectoral index opened on a weak note and extended its downward move amid a volatile trading session, forming a bearish candlestick with a 'lower-high and lower-low" price structure on the daily chart. Both private and PSU banks remained under pressure and ended in negative territory. Kotak Mahindra Bank was the top laggard, while ICICI Bank bucked the trend and closed marginally in the green. The FINNIFTY index also traded with a negative bias, slipping 0.72% and forming another bearish candle on the daily chart. Technically, Bank Nifty breached its 50-DMA and closed below it on Monday, indicating a shift in short-term trend momentum. The relative strength index (RSI) is trending downward and is currently positioned around 45, reflecting weakening strength. Additionally, the MACD has maintained a negative crossover and is trending below the signal line, further confirming bearish sentiment. This technical setup suggests continued pressure on the index unless a strong reversal emerges in the near term. According to O'Neil's methodology of market direction, Bank Nifty remains in a 'Confirmed Uptrend', a status it has successfully maintained over the past few weeks. Nifty Bank found support near 56,000 and managed to close just above it. Going forward, 56,000 remains a crucial support level, and a decisive break below this zone could trigger further downside toward 55,200–55,000 in the coming sessions. On the upside, immediate resistance is seen around 56,400, and a sustained move above this level will be essential to halt further weakness and stabilize the trend. MarketSmith India is a stock research platform and advisory service focused on the Indian stock market. Trade name: William O'Neil India Pvt. Ltd. (Sebi Registered Research Analyst Registration No.: INH000015543) Investments in securities are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing. Registration granted by Sebi and certification from NISM in no way guarantees performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors. Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
