Chinese Civil Servants and State-Linked Employees Face Tighter Travel Restrictions
Chinese civil servants and employees of state-linked enterprises are now facing stricter constraints on private travel abroad and increased scrutiny of their foreign connections, as part of Beijing’s campaign against foreign influence. According to official notices and numerous individuals familiar with the matter, the measures include bans on overseas travel, tighter limits on frequency and duration of trips, onerous approval processes, and pre-departure confidentiality training.
These travel restrictions have been expanded since 2021 and are unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic. The curbs apply to civil servants, state-owned enterprise employees, and public sector workers across the country. The individuals who provided accounts for this report spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
In addition to individual accounts, Reuters also discovered eight public announcements over the past two years from various government entities indicating the strengthening of rules surrounding workers’ personal trips outside China, without revealing all the specific changes. Furthermore, central and local authorities in China are reportedly engaging in an effort to map government and state-linked workers’ personal and family ties to other countries.
Experts suggest that these actions reflect President Xi Jinping’s emphasis on national security amid strained relations with Western countries. China has recently encouraged citizens to participate in anti-espionage activities and introduced new laws that broaden the definition of spying. Neil Thomas, a fellow of Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, stated that Beijing is becoming increasingly concerned about the threat of espionage by Western countries. By preventing government employees from going abroad, China aims to reduce opportunities for foreign powers to engage in spying.
The increased restrictions on personal foreign travel have traditionally applied to senior government officials and state executives who have access to confidential information. However, these limitations are now being implemented among lower-ranking civil servants and state-enterprise workers. For example, employees at China Construction Bank in Beijing and Shanghai can only travel abroad for personal reasons once a year for up to 12 days, according to two bankers.
Public school teachers in some areas are also facing new restrictions on overseas trips. Other state-connected institutions, such as China Development Bank and state-connected mutual funds, have either banned overseas travel or extended travel restrictions to new hires. It is currently unclear whether these restrictions vary by destination.
Moreover, Chinese authorities are also scrutinizing personal foreign ties by issuing questionnaires to individuals requesting information on relatives with foreign nationality or overseas permanent residence. This data collection effort, along with the travel curbs, underscores China’s growing concern about foreign influence.
These measures will likely have implications for China’s interactions with the world. Experts argue that by limiting officials’ opportunities to travel abroad, China may miss out on learning from other countries’ best practices and understanding how it is perceived globally.
Neither the State Council Information Office nor state-linked enterprises, Chinese government entities, or Communist Party entities mentioned in the report have responded to Reuters’ inquiries about the travel restrictions or data collection efforts.