Shafaqna Pakistan: China has tightened restrictions on overseas travel, with new exit-and-entry rules taking effect on Tuesday that allow authorities to bar citizens considered a potential threat to national technology security from leaving the country.
Although Chinese citizens generally enjoy the freedom to travel abroad, authorities have long monitored the movements of individuals deemed to pose potential security risks, a practice that contrasts with the severe travel restrictions imposed during the Cold War.
The new regulations, announced in July, target violations of export-control and technology import and export rules that could potentially undermine China’s industrial or technological security.
Under the rules, citizens who return to China after committing illegal or criminal acts overseas that damage national security or interests may face travel bans ranging from six months to three years.
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 U.S. citizen Min Zin was wrongfully detained after his arrest by Chinese authorities in June over accusations of endangering national security.
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-policy making 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.
Source: Dunya News
