China has allowed Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) banker Chenyue Mao, who was blocked from leaving the country for several months, to return to the U.S. amid ongoing negotiations between Washington and Beijing, several reports said on Wednesday.
The Washington Post first reported that the U.S. had won the release of a citizen from China, with Reuters and Bloomberg reports stating that the citizen in question was Mao. The Washington Post reported that Mao had already departed from China.
Mao, who has worked with Well Fargo for about 13 years, according to Linkedin, was prevented from leaving China earlier this year over her alleged involvement in a criminal case.
Her ban had sparked heightened concerns over foreign companies operating in China becoming entangled in rising trade tensions between Beijing and the west.
Wells Fargo representatives did not immediately respond to a mailed request for comment.
Reports of Mao’s release come as the U.S. and China kicked off another round of high-level trade talks in Madrid this week. Reports showed the two sides had made more progress towards improving trade ties, including reaching a deal on the fate of Chinese social media firm TikTok’s U.S. operations.
