A recent Foreign Policy article claimed: “As Beijing prepares to host a high-level summit with the European Union on Thursday, the message from Chinese officials seems to be “No more Mr. Nice Guy.” My question: has China ever been a Mr. Nice Guy to anyone ?? Not to my knowledge.
In China, the Greater Good rules, as well as its president (see cartoon). Everyone inside or outside China is expendable (eg, enforced disappearances, kidnapping in China, (illegal) Chinese police overseas service stations). The recent FT article (see below) is an example of Chinese hostage diplomacy.
Slowly, the President of the European Commission is no longer acting as Mr(s). Nice Guy. Both China and Trump’s USA are facing a toughening Europe. Recently, she added that European relations with China are at an “inflection point” (eg, EU, Politico, Reuters). A tough excerpt:
“In fact, in terms of total trade, the EU is China’s largest trading partner and China is the EU’s third. Our bilateral trade in goods now exceeds EUR 2 billion per day. Europe has supported China’s economic development for decades and continues to do so. But as our cooperation has deepened, so have the imbalances. We have reached an inflection point. Rebalancing our bilateral relation is essential. Because to be sustainable, the relations need to be mutually beneficial. To achieve this, it is vital for China and Europe to acknowledge our respective concerns and come forward with real solutions.”
Interestingly, Winnie the Pooh could be considered as Mr. Nice Guy.
However, in 2017 all comparisons of Winnie the Pooh and the Chinese president were banned / censored.
Hence, no more Mr. Nice Guy.
However, the Disney version of Winnie the Pooh himself was not banned. Source: Wikipedia.
No More Mr. Nice Guy (1973) by Alice Cooper
artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-artist, Wiki-song
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise.
US embassy in China warns exit bans risk straining bilateral relations (FT)
FT: Latest case targeting commerce department employee comes amid heightened tensions over trade war
By: Joe Leahy and Ryan McMorrow in Beijing
Date: 21 July 2025
“The US embassy in China has expressed concerns about damage to bilateral relations from exit bans, after Beijing prevented an American commerce department employee from leaving the country.
The tensions over exit bans come as the two superpowers are locked in a trade war, and ahead of a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The US “closely” tracks exit bans on American citizens in the country, a spokesperson for the embassy said on Monday, in response to a query about the commerce department employee.
The person added that they had “raised our concern with Chinese authorities about the impact these arbitrary exit bans have on our bilateral relations and urged them to immediately allow impacted US citizens to return home”.
The case is likely to prompt concerns among business groups, officials and others planning to travel to China. Wells Fargo, the US bank, halted travel to China last week after an Atlanta-based managing director was hit with an exit ban.
Exit bans are usually issued without an official public explanation. Individuals in China are prevented from leaving for reasons that can range from alleged espionage and corruption investigations to business disputes.
“A US Patent and Trademark Office employee, while travelling to China in a personal capacity, was made subject to an exit ban in China,” the US embassy spokesperson said. “We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”
The commerce department official was a Chinese-American who had travelled to China to meet relatives, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the case.
“The Chinese government has, for many years, imposed exit bans on US citizens and other foreign nationals in China, often without a clear and transparent judicial process for resolution,” the US embassy spokesperson said.
China’s foreign affairs ministry said it had no “information to share” on the case. A spokesperson added: “China is a country upholding the rule of law”, and that all such cases were handled in accordance with the law.
The foreign affairs ministry spokesperson also said that the Wells Fargo banker, Chenyue Mao, was “involved in a criminal case”.
“The case is under investigation, and Mao Chenyue is temporarily not permitted to leave China. She is also obligated to co-operate with the investigation,” the spokesperson said.
Wells Fargo declined to comment on Mao’s case.
China’s use of exit bans has led the US to advise visitors to the country to exercise heightened caution, warning about the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
The latest case comes as Beijing has promoted foreign tourism through visa-free travel arrangements for citizens from a growing list of countries.
A senior banker at Nomura, Charles Wang Zhonghe, was subjected to an exit ban that confined him to mainland China for several months before he was allowed to leave last year.
China last week sentenced a Japanese pharmaceutical executive, who had been charged with espionage, to three-and-a-half years in jail, without publicly disclosing evidence against him. The case prompted protests from the Japanese embassy in Beijing against China’s opaque judicial processes.”
Sources:
- Financial Times, 21 July 2025: US embassy in China warns exit bans risk straining bilateral relations
- Washington Post, 20 July 2025: U.S. citizen who works for Commerce Dept. ensnared in Chinese exit ban
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