If you travel to China, be aware of an exit ban

The others were quite unclear, and involved people in China who feared they had become subject to an exit ban and people outside China who feared that if they were to go to China, they would never get out. With China increasingly using exit bans against foreigners amid geopolitical tensions, practical guidance is essential for companies and individuals doing business in China. Legal experts say virtually any party to a civil dispute in China involving a foreign national can ask local police to add their opponent's name to a national database of exit bans that police check at every airport, railway station and other border crossing.... U.S. authorities say they don't know how many Americans face exit bans in China, as targets of such bans often fear that involving diplomats could be viewed as provocative and deepen their predicament. The Carr/Wroldsen article then describes how foreigners in China usually learn they are subject to an exit ban at the airport when the Chinese authorities prevent them from boarding an international flight or crossing the border but otherwise leave the person free to travel within China. The post then discusses the professors' recent Thunderbird International Business Review article, Exit Bans When Doing Business in China, that studied the frequency of China exit bans by using data obtained from the United States, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, along cases "From English and Mandarin media." Their study looked only at exit bans that arose from civil business disputes "Between a foreign businessperson and his or her local Chinese counterpart, where the foreigner was prevented from leaving China." It did not cover exit ban cases stemming from political motivations or criminal charges. These communications were probably evenly split between those who were in China and concerned about not being able to get out, and those who were concerned about going to China and not being allowed in, or being allowed into China and then not being allowed to leave. China's recent Mintz Group arrests are believed to have been to retaliate against the United States for blocking semiconductor shipments to China and/or for the United States embarrassing China regarding its spy balloon and/or for publicly pressuring China not to arm Russia in its war against Ukraine.