WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - A senior Trump

administration official on Thursday said they could not comment

on reports that a Wells Fargo ( WFC ) banker was blocked from

leaving China, citing privacy considerations.

The official said that Beijing has long imposed exit bans on

U.S. citizens without a transparent process to resolve such

issues.

"The Chinese government has, for many years, imposed exit

bans on U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals in China,

often without a clear and transparent judicial process for

resolution," the official said. "We are unable to comment

further due to Privacy Act considerations."