The State Department has reduced its travel warning to Level 2 in 2024.
Experts warn that Chinese citizens working for foreign companies or dual nationals as well as people of Chinese descent and their family may face an increased risk of arbitrary arrest or being banned from leaving the country.
Gabriel Wildau is a China political risk analyst for Teneo, an international CEO consulting and advisory company. He says that the Chinese government tends to view ethnic Chinese as Chinese even if they have documents that say otherwise. “We’ve had cases where … the family members of Chinese people who are under investigation or fugitives are held as sort of hostages, subject to exit bans in China, as a means of leverage to try to get the actual target of the corruption investigation or the actual fugitive to return.”
Wildau insists that, despite the risks associated with travel to China for business, it is generally safe to travel there.
He says that “Things are a little worse but perceptions outweigh reality.” “Thousands enter and leave the airport every month with no incident. A few high-profile events have grabbed the public’s attention. But I think to some extent, focusing on those incidents obscures the bigger picture, which is that for … the vast majority of people in the vast majority of situations, there’s no problem.”
Wildau, an American who visits China regularly for work, claims that China has also granted more business visas in the past few years, including visas valid for 10 years. In addition, some countries can travel to China without a visa.
Experts suggest that business travelers to China should consider the following before traveling:
Consider your risk level. People who are linked to foreign adversaries or work in sensitive fields, such as human rights, defense, avionics or the related industries, could be subjected to increased scrutiny.
Use a VPN. Although not foolproof, virtual private networks can provide access blocked sites and protect your search histories.
Protect your devices. The sophisticated surveillance and tracking technologies have opened phones and other electronic devices up to monitoring. If you want to protect your phone’s contents, consider bringing along a burner.
Check your documents. To avoid additional scrutiny or detention, make sure that your passport and visa is up-to-date.
Post-trip protocol. Assume all devices brought to China are compromised. Ask your IT department to search thoroughly for malicious software.
