Wiser to use foreign passport to enter China

LAST week, two Hong Kong journalists were sentenced to prison in China. The similarity of their case to that of the five disappearing/reappearing booksellers grabbed public attention since these two men, too, were accused of selling Hong Kong publications in China.

One issue raised by this case is that of travel to China by individuals with foreign passports, but who choose to use China-issued travel permits that identify them as Chinese nationals. James Wang, who was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, is the holder of an American passport, but travelled to Shenzhen on a Chinese permit.

The State Department spokesman, John Kirby, reported last week that, since Wang's arrest in 2015, "we have asked our Chinese counterparts repeatedly for permission to visit him, including permission to attend his trial". "Those requests have all been denied."