In a move that some believe would give the government even more control over its inhabitants, China has imposed a number of broad new regulations limiting travel into and out of the nation. Additionally, citizens may be prohibited from leaving China for a maximum of three years if they are found to have “harmed” China’s national security or interests while abroad.
However, the law also states that anyone deemed a threat to the nation’s technological or industrial security shall be subject to it. As the competition between Beijing and Washington for technological supremacy intensifies, China continues to closely monitor industries like semiconductors and artificial intelligence. Some CEOs from these businesses reportedly faced travel restrictions in the past.
The co-founders of Manus, an AI startup that Meta purchased, were allegedly prohibited from leaving China in March. The new regulations also mandate that border guards counsel Chinese nationals not to visit “high-risk” nations and areas.
However, some individuals were already prohibited from entering specific nations before the regulations were made public. Among the first groups to be subject to these regulations were civil servants; later, state-owned firm workers and regular citizens were added.
According to a retired Anhui grassroots civil servant who spoke to BBC Chinese, his employer required workers to turn in their passports in 2018. Despite his retirement last year, his previous employer still holds his passport.
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