American siblings back home after 3 years trapped in China

Beijing — A pair of American siblings who were trapped for three years in China have returned home after Beijing lifted a so-called "exit ban" following Canada's release of a top Chinese tech executive wanted in the U.S. on fraud charges. A State Department spokesperson said Cynthia and Victor Liu returned to the U.S. on Sunday after consular staff in Shanghai helped facilitate their departure.   A pair of Canadians held in China were also permitted to leave after Canada released Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on Friday.   The State Department spokesperson, quoted on routine condition of anonymity in an undated statement, added that the U.S. opposes the use of "coercive exit bans against people who are not themselves charged with crimes" and would continue to "advocate on behalf of all American citizens in (China) subject to arbitrary detention and coercive exit bans."

It was never clear why China had imposed an exit ban on the American siblings, and there case was never explicitly linked by Beijing to the detention of Meng in Canada.

The Lius traveled to China in 2018 to pay respects to their dying grandmother, but then found authorities blocking their departure at every border point.