Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Washington says China will not let US government employee leave the country

INTRO: The US State Department says the Chinese government has blocked an employee from the US Patent and Trademark Office, which is part of the Department of Commerce, from leaving.

It comes as officials from Beijing and Washington — including in the Commerce Department — are negotiating a trade deal after President Donald Trump hit goods from China with heavy tariffs that he later paused. Laura Westbrook has more.