TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China’s new State Council entry-exit rules will allow authorities to bar some Chinese from leaving the country when export-control or technology violations are considered a possible threat to industrial or technological security.
The regulations, which take effect Sept. 15, have prompted Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council to warn Taiwanese to assess the risks before traveling to China because of possible personal-safety concerns, per CNA.
The rules also strengthen checks on the reasons given for entry and exit applications. Beijing says the measures are intended to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, per UDN.
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said China said that it is nothing new for Beijing to make it hard for Chinese and foreigners alike to enter and leave the country. He said the new rules put existing practices more explicitly into writing and present them as based in law despite the absence of the rule of law.
Chiu emphasized that the controls lack clear statutory criteria and are vague enough to permit arbitrary enforcement. He said this uncertainty could impair ordinary people’s rights to enter or leave the country and increase travel risks for Taiwanese, whom he encouraged to conduct risk assessments before any potential visits to China.
Singapore Management University legal scholar Henry Gao said the regulations mark a significant move toward treating departure from China as a privilege granted at the state’s discretion rather than a right, per UDN. He urged people concerned about the changes to “leave quickly while you still can.”
