MAC cautions travelers on China entry/exit rules
RISKS: Local Chinese officials might take a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach in implementing the new rules, MAC said, as the number of detentions and missing rose
By Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNA
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday urged groups traveling to China to exercise extra caution as local officials implementing new border controls, which take effect today, could be inconsistent or overly strict.
The council has reviewed the new regulations and found five main groups at risk, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) told reporters before attending a Taipei forum held by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association to discuss the implications of the new entry and exit regulations.
Shen urged Taiwanese travelers to register online before traveling to China as an additional safety precaution.
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung, second left, attends a forum in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
Businesspeople, executives, high-tech professionals, lower-level government officials and followers of certain religions could face additional risks under the new regulations, he said.
Over the past few years, the number of people questioned, detained or reported missing in China has increased, he said, adding that it was “abnormal.”
The rules give border authorities at the county level more responsibility, which could lead to inconsistent or overly strict enforcement, as local officials could take a “better safe than sorry” approach when the rules are first implemented, Shen said.
In addition, people could be barred from leaving China based on authorities’ unilateral determination that they might endanger national interests, even without being formally convicted of an offense, he said.
Immigration authorities could also demand documents, data and electronic evidence from devices such as phones, tablets and laptops, and require travelers to unlock them, posing risks to information security, commercial and technological data, and people who have expressed certain political views, he added.
Strict new controls on the high-tech sector are particularly concerning, Central Police University Department of Border Police professor Arthur Wang (王智盛) said.
Taiwanese tech professionals traveling to China could be targeted for possessing sensitive information, and authorities could make it difficult for them to leave or require them to provide information, he said.
Under the new rules, Chinese authorities could demand electronic evidence and information about relatives who have expressed support for Taiwan, participated in international organizations or practice certain religions, he added.
Similar rules have already been implemented, Taipei District Court judge Hsu Kai-chieh (許凱傑) said, citing China’s 2023 revision of its counterespionage law, which allows authorities to bar people from leaving the country if they are suspected of spying.
The new regulations are an additional layer of restrictions, placing greater emphasis on export and technology controls, Hsu said.
They could also become a legal tool for controlling entry and exit from China, barring people who might “cause trouble” from entering and key people already in China from leaving, he said.
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