Chinese teachers complain that the authorities are tightening controls on travel abroad and in some cases going so far as to demand the surrender of their passports to prevent any travel deemed problematic.
What you need to know
- Chinese teachers complain that the authorities ask them to hand over their passports in order to be able to control their movements abroad.
- The approach aims in particular to ensure, according to Human Rights Watch, that the government maintains its influence in a “key sector of ideological control”.
- Controls in this area also reflect, notes an American academic, the increased attention given to threats to national security under the leadership of President Xi Jinping.
“We are seeing more and more people complaining on Chinese social networks about this type of practice,” underlines Maya Wang, a Human Rights Watch researcher who closely follows developments in the country.
However, it is difficult to have a clear picture of the extent of the phenomenon, notes Mme Wang, who sees it as a way for the regime to try to protect its influence over the population.
Education is a key sector of ideological control. The government wants to ensure that the people in charge are loyal to the Communist Party and are not influenced by foreigners.
Maya Wang, Human Rights Watch researcher
THE Financial Times reported Monday the comments of primary and secondary teachers from several Chinese regions who complained of having been ordered to surrender their passports to the management of the establishment where they work.
Teachers noted that employees refusing to comply with the request and submit to an exhaustive approval process before going abroad risked sanctions.
Jeremy Daum, a law professor at Yale University who divides his time between the United States and China, also says he has noted “complaints from teachers” on this subject online without being able to quantify the importance of the phenomenon.
Preparing teachers in counterespionage
The supervision of foreign travel by teaching staff was mentioned in 2021 in a document dealing with national security which underlined the need for close monitoring for several categories of state employees, not to mention the seizure of passports.
It was notably a question of “strengthening the preparation of teachers in terms of counter-espionage” before any trip in order to prevent them from being recruited or unduly influenced by actors hostile to the Chinese regime. The document also mentioned the need to hold a follow-up meeting upon their return.
Under the presidency of Xi Jinping, attention to national security has become a priority… The trend is towards excessive vigilance.
Jeremy Daum, professor of law at Yale University
The researcher notes that it is difficult to know exactly how local authorities have implemented these guidelines in different regions of the country.
“They have a lot of latitude to proceed,” he notes.
Continue to travel despite restrictions
Chinese academic institutions have long controlled their staff’s overseas travel and have implemented elaborate approval procedures without going so far as to preemptively require the surrender of passports, the researcher points out.
Many Chinese academics continue to travel to participate in international conferences, notes Mr. Daum, who recently hosted colleagues from the country at a meeting in the United States.
Restrictions in place for teachers and government employees in other positions deemed sensitive do not prevent tens of millions of Chinese from traveling abroad for personal reasons.
In 2019, nearly 155 million of them went on a tourist trip, according to the Statista website. After a period of closure linked to the COVID-19 pandemic which caused their number to drop to 20 million, 87 million Chinese tourists were recorded in 2023.
A travel ban also remains in place for the populations of Tibet and Xinjiang, where Beijing maintains strong police pressure. Dissidents and human rights lawyers are also subject to such restrictions.
“Delicate balance”
Maya Wang notes that the Chinese government seeks to strike a “delicate balance” by maintaining a policy of openness that has long benefited the country economically “while maintaining the power” of the Communist Party over the Chinese population.
There are tensions on this subject within the government, but it would not be “viable” for the state to radically close itself as, for example, North Korea is doing, she says.
Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China, notes that “the fear of espionage has increased significantly” in the country in recent years, pushing the government to warn the population against the risks linked to exchanges. with abroad.
Imposing increased controls on teachers and other state-linked workers suggests, he said, that President Xi is a “concerned leader” who fears unrest that could arise from his regime’s repressive approach.
THE Global Times, a Chinese daily which serves as a mouthpiece for the regime, notes in a recent issue that the country has successfully implemented measures in recent years to facilitate the arrival of tourists to the country, in particular visa exemptions.
Nearly 15 million foreign nationals visited China in the first six months of the year, testifying, according to the media, that the country is “open” to the world and welcoming, whatever its detractors say.