China demands public sector workers surrender passports as President Xi tightens his grip on every aspect of society
Public sector workers in China are being ordered to surrender their passports as President Xi Jinping’s grip on every aspect of society tightens.
The number of public sector workers facing restrictions on their ability to travel abroad has expanded dramatically this year and includes most staff from schools, universities, local governments and other state-owned enterprises.
Legislation passed in 2003 allowed the communist government in China to restrict international travel for mid- and high-level officials.
The so-called passport fundraiser allows local authorities to control and monitor who travels abroad and how often.
As President Xi continues to increase his dictatorship’s invasion of people’s private lives, he has also intensified his campaign against foreign spies.
This has led many employees to suddenly conclude that they can no longer enjoy the freedom to travel in the way they did not so long ago.
President Xi Jinping continues to increase his dictatorship’s invasion of people’s private lives as he intensifies his campaign against foreign spies
A Chinese passport. The number of public sector workers facing restrictions on their ability to travel abroad has expanded dramatically this year and includes most staff from schools, universities, local governments and other state-owned enterprises (stock image)
Speaking to the Financial Times, a primary school teacher from Sichuan province said: ‘All teachers and public sector workers were told to surrender our passports.’
Educators in other cities across the country, including Guangdong and Yichang, have reported the introduction of similar restrictions.
Teachers have long faced certain restrictions on their travel abroad, fearing what ideas they might encounter outside China and which they might then instill in their students.
This has increased dramatically in recent years, with many restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic being lifted and replaced with similar bans.
Teachers in Wenzhou, eastern China, were told in March to surrender their passports and have their names registered with the public security bureau’s border control unit.
To travel abroad, teachers must apply to their school and are typically limited to one trip per year for less than 20 days per year.
Those who refused to surrender their passports or traveled anyway could face “criticism and education” or even be referred to China’s anti-corruption authority.
They may also receive a travel ban of two to five years.
Other sectors are also being affected, with some employees of state-owned enterprises needing approval from nine different departments before they can go on holiday – and even then they have not received their passports.
Retirees are also not immune to the crackdown with a former aircraft manufacturer who has been retired for more than a decade suddenly having his passport confiscated, preventing him from visiting family living abroad.
Other sectors are also affected, with some workers in state-owned enterprises needing approval from nine different foreign departments before they can go on holiday – and they still haven’t received their passports (stock image)
The 76-year-old, who described himself as a patriot, said his former employee had no reason to ban him from traveling to visit his grandson.
China’s Foreign Ministry told the FT it was not aware of the situation and referred questions to the relevant authorities.
National security has long been used by the government as a pretext to restrict freedoms. In the 21st century, Chinese citizens face censorship over what they can and cannot do, both online and offline.
Meanwhile, residents of areas like Tibet have been facing oppression for decades. They lost their freedom to travel abroad more than a decade ago.