Last week, Chinese authorities detained Chenyue Mao, a U.S. citizen and former Wells Fargo executive, during what was supposed to be a short family visit to Shanghai. Wells Fargo clarified that Mao was placed on an exit ban unrelated to her work, but this tactic is nothing new. This is the latest reminder that when it comes to China, citizenship doesn’t mean what we think it means. It merely represents another means of exploitation.

Mao’s ordeal illustrates the long arc of China’s strategy to entrench itself in American institutions and exploit the openness of the liberal system.