China’s tightened controls over international travel have been rolled out, with new exit-and-entry rules taking effect Tuesday that allow authorities to prevent citizens from leaving the country if they are deemed a potential threat to national technology or industrial security.
The measures add a formal legal framework to Beijing’s growing scrutiny of cross-border movement by people with access to sensitive information, technology or business activities that the government considers relevant to national security.
Chinese citizens are generally free to travel abroad, a sharp contrast with the restrictions that characterized the country during the height of the Cold War. Beijing has, however, maintained tighter controls over the foreign travel of people considered security risks, particularly government officials and employees of state-linked organizations with access to confidential information.
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The new rules were unveiled in July and specifically address violations involving export controls and technology import and export regulations where such conduct could endanger China’s industrial or technological security.
Under the rules, Chinese citizens who return to the country after committing illegal or criminal acts abroad that harm national security or national interests can be barred from leaving China again for between six months and three years.
The regulations also give authorities powers affecting foreign nationals. Foreigners can be denied entry to China for one to five years if they provide false statements in visa applications.
The changes come as Beijing has increasingly treated technology, data and international business links as components of national security. That approach has already affected the movement of officials, researchers and employees of state-affiliated companies, while foreign governments have reported cases involving people who were prevented from leaving China amid security-related investigations.
Technology Workers Face Greater Uncertainty
The new rules formalize restrictions that have previously operated through a combination of administrative measures and security investigations.
Reuters reported in 2023 that Chinese civil servants and employees of state-linked enterprises were facing tighter restrictions on private overseas travel and increased scrutiny of their foreign connections as Beijing intensified a campaign against foreign influence.
The latest regulations could extend that security framework into technology-related activity, creating particular uncertainty for people whose work involves sensitive technologies, exports or international business.
Taiwan has already warned its citizens to exercise greater caution when traveling to mainland China following the implementation of the new rules. Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and regards people from Taiwan as Chinese citizens, while Taiwan operates its own government and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
Shen Yu-chung, deputy head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, said the rules effectively “legalize” border-control practices that previously lacked a clear legal basis while expanding the discretion available to enforcement agencies.
He identified the provisions concerning “export control” and “technology import-export management” as a particular concern, especially for Taiwanese working in the technology industry.
The concern reflects the blurred line between commercial activity and national security in China’s technology policy. Employees working in industries such as semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and other strategically important technologies may have legitimate reasons to travel internationally, but their professional activities could also place them within the scope of security-related restrictions.
For companies operating across China and overseas, the rules add another compliance consideration alongside existing export controls, data-security requirements and restrictions on the transfer of sensitive technology.
Broader Security Crackdown
China’s expanding use of national-security legislation has also raised concerns over the ability of authorities to restrict the movement of individuals during investigations.
Last month, Min Zin, a Myanmar expert and U.S. citizen designated by Washington, was wrongfully detained after Chinese authorities arrested him in June over allegations that he had endangered national security.
Foreign governments have previously documented other cases in which individuals were prevented from leaving China, often in connection with investigations involving national security.
Beijing, meanwhile, has presented the new rules as an effort to establish clearer legal procedures rather than simply expand arbitrary restrictions. The government has dismissed Taiwan’s concerns, saying the regulations provide stronger legal protection for Taiwanese people.
The practical impact could depend heavily on how broadly Chinese authorities interpret the technology and national-security provisions. The reference to export controls and technology import-export management gives enforcement agencies another legal basis for intervening in the international travel of people whose activities are considered sensitive.
That could become crucial as technology competition between China and the United States intensifies. Semiconductor equipment, artificial intelligence, advanced computing and other strategic technologies have become central to national-security policies on both sides, making the movement of people and knowledge across borders more politically sensitive.