China restricts travel for citizens harming national interests

Thairath•International•1d ago

Reader Briefing

China has implemented new travel regulations that allow the state to ban citizens from leaving the country for up to three years if they are deemed to have harmed national security or interests.

•New travel regulations took effect on September 15.
•Citizens harming national security or violating technology import-export rules can be banned from traveling abroad for up to 3 years.
•The regulations aim to protect national sovereignty and security while preventing high-risk individuals from engaging in illegal gambling or scams abroad.
•The number of court rulings mentioning travel bans in China rose from 89 in 2016 to 188,760 in the past year.

Overview

•New travel regulations for Chinese citizens took effect on September 15.
•Chinese authorities may ban citizens from leaving the country for up to 3 years if they damage national security or interests while abroad.
•Citizens violating technology import and export regulations that threaten industrial or technological security may also face travel bans.
•The Feiya platform stated the rules target high-risk individuals and do not limit travel for general citizens.
•According to Safeguard Defenders, travel ban rulings in the Supreme Court of China's database increased from 89 in 2016 to 188,760 in the past year.
•Civil case rulings involving travel bans increased more than 30 times between 2019 and 2025, rising from 0.23% to 7.3%.
•Border officials are tasked with advising Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to designated high-risk areas.
•Tom Kellogg stated that expanding travel restrictions reflects increased ideological control under President Xi Jinping.

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Key Quotes

Immigration Officer

"Because of the Hong Kong matter"

เพราะเรื่องฮ่องกง

Immigration Officer

"You cannot go"

คุณไปไม่ได้

Key Entities

Organization

Feiya(ผีเหยา)

A Chinese government platform used for clarifying information and countering rumors.

Georgetown University(มหาวิทยาลัยจอร์จทาวน์)ℹ️

The institution where Tom Kellogg serves as Executive Director of the Asia Law Center.

BBC(บีบีซี)ℹ️

The news organization that interviewed individuals facing travel restrictions.

Safeguard Defendersℹ️

A human rights group providing data on the increase of travel bans in China.

Supreme Court of China(ศาลฎีกาจีน)ℹ️

The entity whose database recorded the increase in travel ban rulings.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China(กระทรวงการต่างประเทศจีน)ℹ️

A government agency that did not respond to questions from BBC Chinese.

Person

Tom Kellogg(ทอม เคลล็อกก์)

Executive Director of the Asia Law Center at Georgetown University.

Xiao Wang(เสี่ยวหวัง)ℹ️

A pseudonym for an employee at a state financial institution in Beijing.

Xi Jinping(สี จิ้นผิง)ℹ️

The President of China under whose leadership ideological control is reportedly increasing.

Mao Zedong(เหมา เจ๋อตง)ℹ️

A former leader of China during whose era the country was largely cut off from the outside world.

Place

Hong Kong(ฮ่องกง)ℹ️

The location where large pro-democracy protests occurred in 2019.

Beijing(ปักกิ่ง)ℹ️

The city where Xiao Wang works at a state financial institution.

Japan(ญี่ปุ่น)ℹ️

A country described as a sensitive area that state financial institution employees should not visit.