China Tightens Travel Rules, Imposes Exit Bans Over National & Tech Security Concerns

China imposed sweeping travel restrictions on its citizens on Tuesday, including exit bans on people deemed to pose a threat to the country's "industrial or technological security".

Under the new rules, citizens who violate regulations governing technology imports and exports could be barred from leaving China, according to the State Council.

People involved in illegal activities overseas could also be "prohibited from leaving the country for a period of six months to three years from the date of their return to China".

The measures come as China and the US remain locked in a technology race, with both countries in recent months accusing each other of stealing capabilities from domestically developed artificial intelligence models.

Rules Aimed At Safeguarding National Security

The regulations were first released in July and came into effect on Tuesday. The State Council said they were formulated to "safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests".

The measures expand China's ability to impose travel restrictions in cases involving technology, security and activities overseas.

However, analysts have raised concerns over the broad scope of the regulations and how they could be applied.

Analysts Warn Of 'Wide Remit'

Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore said the travel rules give China a "wide remit".

Security and criminal activities "can be vaguely defined and easily adjusted", Chong told AFP.

"The outside world will only know how it applies that remit after there are cases of implementation," he said.

Chong also pointed to reports of foreign nationals being prevented from leaving China, including the recent case involving US citizen Min Zin.

Min Zin Case Raises Questions Over Exit Restrictions

The US government has said political analyst Min Zin was taken into Chinese custody in Yunnan province on June 3 and was improperly held.

China rejected the accusations in August, saying Min Zin was suspected of violating Chinese law.

"The case of Min Zin is a reminder that the range of people (that China) could restrict from exiting could be quite wide -- and potentially arbitrary," Chong said.

The case has drawn attention to the potential scope of China's restrictions and the categories of people who could be prevented from leaving the country.

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Curbs 'Send A Message', Expert Says

Dylan Loh, an associate professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, told AFP that the restrictions "send a message" that Beijing is prepared to act to prevent "leaks in security or national interest-sensitive areas".

The new measures add travel restrictions to China's efforts to protect areas it considers important to national, industrial and technological security.