China tightens travel curbs for citizens deemed potential tech security threats

[BEIJING] China tightened travel curbs on Tuesday (Sep 15) as new exit-and-entry rules took effect, barring citizens deemed a ​potential threat to national technology security from leaving the country.

Chinese are generally free to travel, unlike during the height of the Cold War, when few were able to venture overseas, but the government has long kept close watch on the travel plans of those it considers could present a security risk.

China unveiled the new rules in July, saying they ​targeted violations of export controls or technology import and ​export rules in a way that may endanger industrial or technological security.

The rules provide for an exit ban ranging from six months to three years on citizens who return to China after committing illegal ​or criminal acts abroad that harm national security or interests.

Foreign nationals may ​also be denied entry for one to five years for false statements made in visa applications.

Curbs on personal foreign travel have long applied to senior government officials and state executives with access to confidential information.

In 2023, Reuters reported that Chinese civil servants and employees of state-linked enterprises were facing tighter limits on private travel abroad and scrutiny of foreign connections, as Beijing waged a campaign against foreign influence.

Foreign governments have also reported cases of citizens being denied permission to leave China, often due to security-related investigations.

Last month, Washington-designated Myanmar expert and US citizen Min Zin was wrongfully detained after his arrest by Chinese authorities in June over accusations of endangering national security.

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The new rules have prompted Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, to warn its people to take extra care on visits to China, which considers people from Taiwan to be Chinese citizens.

The new rules “legalise” previously legally unfounded border control practices and boost the discretionary authority of enforcement agencies, said Shen Yu-chung, a deputy head of Taiwan’s China-policymaking Mainland Affairs Council.

In remarks on Monday, he highlighted as a particular concern new language on “export control” and “technology import-export management” as grounds for restricting exit, especially for Taiwanese who work in the tech sector.

China has dismissed those concerns, saying the rules provide better legal protection for Taiwanese. REUTERS