Reuters could not determine whether restrictions varied by destination.
Among the official notices seen by Reuters were directives by a government affairs unit in a district of eastern Ningbo city in September and another by the National Council for Social Security Fund earlier this year. Both emphasised tougher vetting of employees’ requests for personal trips overseas.
In eastern Wenzhou city, a branch of the Municipal Eco-Environment Bureau published revised rules on an official website in September last year, stating that employees can travel abroad only once a year and for no longer than a month.
Wang Zhi’an, a former Chinese state television anchor who runs an independent media outlet in Japan, said authorities may be worried about officials’ observations outside China.
“This exposure might subtly influence the thinking and awareness of these officials,” he said. “They might start to question the Communist Party’s management system and wonder why it’s like this.”
MAPPING CONNECTIONS
Chinese authorities are also scrutinising personal foreign ties, according to a document seen by Reuters, one of the 10 people who discussed travel curbs and three other state-enterprise workers with knowledge of the matter.
Starting around late last year, these people said they received questionnaires from bodies such as the Communist Youth League, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC), local authorities, and their respective employers.
The forms asked for information on relatives with foreign nationality or overseas permanent residence, and details of foreign assistance or experience, the people said, adding that it was the first time they had received the requests.
Reuters saw one of the questionnaires but could not fully establish how authorities used the data.
The measures come as China steps up public messaging about foreign influence. In August, the Ministry of State Security said on its recently launched WeChat account that it had identified a Chinese national in Italy suspected of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency, and warned of the potential for Chinese to be recruited abroad.
The CIA did not respond to a request for comment.
Thomas said the travel curbs in particular would have implications for China’s interactions with the world.
“The less Chinese officials go abroad, the less they’re able to learn from good things that foreign governments are doing, the less they are familiar with foreign societies, and the less they understand how China is truly perceived in the world,” he said.
Source: CNA
