TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is preparing a guide to help citizens avoid risks when traveling to China amid concerns that five new Chinese laws and regulations will expand authorities’ ability to restrict people, information, and cross-border activity.
A Taiwan official said concerns have grown as China prepares to tighten rules on leaving and entering the country, per SET News. The official said Taiwanese business travelers, particularly those in the technology sector, are increasingly worried about being questioned or facing difficulties when traveling to China.
The official pointed to rules governing cybersecurity inspections by Chinese public security agencies as another concern. The measure could allow authorities to inspect individuals, mobile phones, laptops, and messages, creating additional risks for Taiwanese working in China.
The five measures include the ethnic unity law, effective July 1, and the internet information rules, which closed their public comment period Aug. 2 but have not yet been approved, per CNA. The State Council’s exit and entry regulations take effect Sept. 15, while a revised defense mobilization law and cybersecurity measures take effect Oct. 1.
The official said several of the laws were introduced within a relatively short period and share a broad interpretation of “national security,” SET News reported. The concept is being extended to regulate industries, information, business activity, and the movement of people, goods, money, and data.
The official also warned that enforcement powers are increasingly being delegated to lower-level authorities. Under the new entry and exit regulations, powers related to industrial and commercial security that were previously handled by the Ministry of Commerce could be exercised by authorities in border counties and cities.
The cybersecurity inspection rules will give county-level public security agencies broader powers to investigate people, devices, and information, including the authority to detain individuals or devices and to require explanations of message content, according to SET News. The official described the broad authority as effectively giving local authorities a “blank check.”
The official said the Mainland Affairs Council is reviewing Chinese laws that could pose risks to specific groups and plans to issue guidelines, per ETtoday. The review could cover concerns beyond Taiwan-specific issues, including what religious groups can bring into China and where they can conduct religious activities.
The council wants the guidelines to reach travelers more widely, including via cellphone alerts upon arrival in China and information at airports before departure. However, the official said the council has no media advertising budget and will need to consider other ways to publicize the warnings.
