Public sector employees in China are being ordered to hand in their passports as President Xi Jinping‘s grip on every aspect of society tightens.
The number of public sector workers who face restrictions on their ability to travel abroad has been massively expanded this year to include most staff at schools, universities, local government and other state-owned businesses.
Legislation dating back to 2003 allowed the communist government in China to restrict international travel for mid-to-high level officials.
Under the so-called passport collection drive local authorities are able to control and monitor who travels abroad and how often.
Now, as President Xi continues to increase his dictatorship’s invasion into people’s private lives, he has also intensified his campaign against foreign spies.
This has led many workers to suddenly find they cannot enjoy the freedom to travel in the way they once did not so long ago.
President Xi Jinping continues to increase his dictatorship’s invasion into people’s private lives as he intensifies his campaign against foreign spies
A Chinese passport. The number of public sector workers who face restrictions on their ability to travel abroad has been massively expanded this year to include most staff at schools, universities, local government and other state-owned businesses (stock image)
Speaking to the Financial Times, a primary school teacher from Sichuan province said: ‘All teachers and public sector employees were told to hand in our passports.’
Educators in other cities from across the country including, Guangdong and Yichang, have reported the introduction of similar restrictions.
Teachers have long faced some sort of restrictions on their travel abroad out of fear of what ideas they might encounter outside of China and then instill inside their pupils.
This has been greatly increased in recent years with many restrictions from during the Covid-19 pandemic being lifted and replaced with similar bans.
Teachers in Wenzhou, in east China, were told to hand in their passports back in March and their names would be registered with the public security bureau’s border control unit.
In order to travel abroad, teachers have to file an application with their schools and are typically restricted to one trip a year for less than 20 days a year.
Those who refused to hand over their passport or travelled anyway could face ‘criticism and education’ or could even be referred to the Chinese anti-corruption authority.
They might also face a travel ban for two to five years.
Other sectors are also being impacted with some workers in state companies needing approval from nine different departments before they can go on holiday – and still then they have not received their passport.
Retirees are also not immune to the clampdown with a former aircraft maker who has been retired for over ten years suddenly having his passport taken away barring him from visiting family living overseas.
Other sectors are also being impacted with some workers in state companies needing approval from nine different departments abroad before they can go on holiday – and still then they have not received their passport (stock image)
The 76-year-old, who described himself as a patriot, said his former employee had no reason to bar him from travelling to see 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 as a pretext by the government to clampdown on freedoms. In the 21st century, Chinese citizens face censorship with what they can and can’t do both online and offline.
Meanwhile residents in areas such as Tibet have faced oppression for decades. Having lost their freedom to travel abroad more than a decade ago.