Tue, Aug 25, 2026 page2

• New China rules put Taiwanese at risk: source

  BROAD AUTHORITY: Local governments in border areas would be authorized to independently impose exist restrictions, substantially increasing personal safety risks

  • By Chen Yun and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  Taiwanese visiting China could be detained for being involved in sensitive technology or working for a “hostile company” under Beijing’s new border controls, a national security source said yesterday.

  China is on Sept. 15 to implement revised entry and exit regulations that, together with the Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law and proposed revisions to the Administrative Measures for Internet Information Services, would give Chinese authorities broad discretionary powers, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

  People could potentially be detained for being involved in sensitive technology or working for a company deemed “hostile,” reflecting Beijing’s increasingly restrictive security posture amid mounting pressure to maintain domestic stability, they said.

  

  People walk through Shanghai Pudong International Airport in China on Jan. 25 last year, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

  Photo: Bloomberg

  China’s State Council issued regulations stipulating that Chinese citizens — which include Taiwanese under Beijing’s China nationality law — who engage in illegal or criminal activities overseas that endanger national security or national interests could be prohibited from leaving China for six months to three years after entering the country.

  The rules also stipulate that Chinese citizens who contravene import-export regulations in a way that could endanger national industrial or technological security could be barred from leaving the country.

  The national security source said that just as Beijing is using the ethnic unity law to place people it considers “detrimental” to its interests on a list of targets for transnational repression, the new entry and exit rules are similarly open to arbitrary interpretation.

  If Chinese authorities determine that a Taiwanese in China is involved in or directly stealing technology, industrial, scientific or military information, or works for a company deemed “hostile,” the person could be unable to return home, or, if they are abroad, their family members in China could be detained to induce them to travel to China, the source said.

  Even local governments in border areas are authorized to independently impose exit restrictions, substantially increasing personal safety risks, they added.

  The new rules create potential risks to the technology supply chain, as engineers from semiconductor suppliers or IC design companies who travel to China on business could be subjected to movement restrictions or compulsory inspections if their devices contain information about new manufacturing processes or technology development, the source said.

  Many multinational companies have already issued internal security guidelines requiring employees traveling to China to carry dedicated “clean” phones and laptops, while prohibiting them from taking routine work or personal devices, they said.

  Some foreign businesspeople have stopped using phones installed with WeChat or Sina Weibo immediately after returning to Europe or North America, to guard against the cybersecurity and personal-safety risks posed by Chinese authorities arbitrarily inspecting devices or forcing them to log into social media accounts, the source said.

  Beijing is also revising the Administrative Measures for Internet Information Services to regulate online speech and behavior, they said.

  That represents not only pressure on Taiwan and other democratic systems, but also a form of “involution” in the rule of law, exposing the enormous pressure Beijing faces to maintain internal stability, they said.

  Taiwanese security authorities are working with the Mainland Affairs Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation to develop more detailed safety guidelines for Taiwanese traveling to China, the source said.
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