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Somebody who was born in this country who visited China would later face difficulty getting back in to the USA. We have to keep in mind that the struggles of the Chinese against these exclusion laws really laid down the foundations of civil rights law.

I left Beijing in 1987, shortly before my books were banned there, but have returned continually.

I didn't say Facebook could not enter China, but nor did I say that it could.

China has always been very hospitable, but we can choose who enters our house. We could not allow any companies to enter China and make money while hurting the country.

The Chinese foreign ministry has said more than once that I am a free person. Did I do anything wrong by leaving my home?

If the United States wants access to Chinese, Indian or Vietnamese markets, we must get access to theirs. U.S. protectionism is very subtle but it is very much there.

Growing up in Singapore, I wasn't allowed to visit China. So when I was finally able to go there after the country began opening up to tourism in the 1990s, I found it to be utterly astounding.

I am trying to persuade my family to spend more time in China. It's no fun to be in exile. I can't even figure out the basic 26 letters, let alone operate, in English. I often feel that although I've found the sky of freedom above my head, I've lost the soil I stand on. I need to be back in my motherland, where I can find inspirations.

And so border security is not simply preventing people from getting in, but very often preventing somebody from leaving for the wrong reasons.