Starting September 15, Traveling to Mainland China May Prevent Return to Taiwan? Beijing's New Entry-Exit Rules Take Effect; Chiu: Vague Regulations Cause Panic

China's State Council recently released the 'Regulations of the State Council on Exit and Entry Management,' which officially took effect on September 15. The new law stipulates that Chinese citizens who violate export control regulations and may endanger national industrial or technological security can be prohibited from leaving the country. In response, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairperson Chiu Chui-cheng stated that the Chinese Communist Party's new entry-exit rules are semantically vague and broadly defined, potentially infringing on citizens' rights to enter and exit, thereby causing social panic.

Academic analysis suggests that since Beijing does not recognize Republic of China passports, Taiwanese entering mainland China with Taiwan Compatriot Permits are regarded as 'Chinese citizens.' Therefore, the new regulations may also apply to Taiwanese traveling to mainland China.

Another key aspect of the new rules attracting international attention is the establishment of an 'Overseas Safety Risk Prevention System.' According to the regulations, China's foreign affairs, culture, and tourism departments will continuously issue overseas safety alerts and travel risk advisories. Chinese citizens are required to monitor official information and avoid traveling to or staying in high-risk countries and regions. Officials explain that the purpose is to safeguard the safety of Chinese citizens abroad.

However, if viewed in isolation, this is not fundamentally different from overseas travel warnings issued by many countries. What is truly noteworthy is that this new regulation signifies the Chinese government formally incorporating 'citizen departure' into its national security governance framework, rather than treating it merely as personal travel freedom.

Chiu Chui-cheng attended a legislative hearing today and spoke to reporters before the session.

Chiu stated: 'The new entry-exit regulations released by the State Council of the Chinese Communist Party will cause social panic. Essentially, the CCP exercises extremely strict control over both its own citizens and foreign individuals. These regulations are merely codifying existing strict management rules, highlighting their claim of governance by law.

In reality, we know that people who wish to study or visit Taiwan are already restricted by the CCP's strict entry-exit controls and cannot freely come to Taiwan. This has been the case for a long time under their stringent management regime. However, unlike Taiwan, which is a country governed by the rule of law with clear conditions and regulatory content, their rules are extremely vague and arbitrary—sometimes resulting in outright bans on departure.

Under such circumstances, the absence of statutory conditions and clear legal norms leads to the infringement of ordinary people's rights to enter and exit, which is precisely why public panic arises. We must emphasize that mainland China has continuously revised its national security-related laws in recent years, including entry-exit regulations, increasing the risks for our citizens traveling to the mainland. Therefore, we urge our people to pay attention to these new laws, be aware of potential personal safety risks, and conduct thorough risk assessments before traveling to the mainland to ensure their own safety.'