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Alyssa Chen

Under new regulations, the Chinese government will soon be able to ban citizens from leaving the country if they violate export controls or rules on technology transfers.
The measures were announced by the State Council, China’s cabinet, on Friday and are set to take effect on September 15.
The Ministry of Commerce and other departments can enforce exit bans on citizens if their breaches “endanger national industrial or technological security”, according to the State Council.
The regulations also open the door to exit bans for officials found to have sought foreign nationality or residency, as well as Chinese nationals who have committed crimes overseas.


The restrictions carry particular weight given that Beijing has placed export controls on an increasing number of items, including critical minerals, rare earths and dual-use goods with both civilian and military applications.
China has been stepping up its crackdown on the smuggling of critical minerals, leveraging its dominant position in mining and processing.
In May last year, China launched a multi-agency operation to combat smuggling involving police, customs and the country’s top intelligence agency. This year’s work report from China’s top prosecutor’s office revealed that 9,874 people had been convicted for illegally exporting critical minerals.
Recent high-profile cases underscore the government’s determination. In May, authorities detained two Japanese nationals in the northeastern port city of Dalian on suspicion of smuggling restricted rare earths.


Last December, a court in southern Shenzhen convicted 27 people for illegally shipping more than 166 tonnes of antimony out of the country, sentencing the ringleader to 12 years in prison while others received penalties ranging from four months’ detention to five years’ imprisonment.
The regulations also take aim at technology transfers, seeking to prevent know-how in sectors Beijing considers strategically vital – such as artificial intelligence (AI) and computer chips – from moving overseas.
This strategy came into sharp focus when Beijing blocked Meta’s US$2 billion acquisition of Chinese AI start-up Manus, which relocated to Singapore last year.
In March, authorities banned the company’s co-founders from leaving the country while regulators examined whether the acquisition violated investment regulations.
While civil servants and military officials have long faced restrictions on their overseas travel and connections, the new rules toughen enforcement.
“Exit-entry intermediary service agencies are prohibited from processing such applications when they violate regulations,” the State Council said.
“When agencies receive such requests, they must refuse to process them and immediately report those matters to supervisory authorities.”
The inclusion of military personnel alongside civil servants reflects Beijing’s efforts to enforce political loyalty within the People’s Liberation Army alongside its long-running anti-corruption campaign. The restrictions could also be aimed at preventing intelligence leaks.


Citizens who commit crimes abroad that harm national security or China’s interests may face an exit ban of six months to three years after returning to the country.
These are unprecedented restrictions and come in the wake of Beijing’s sweeping offensive against transnational cyber-fraud networks, in which tens of thousands of suspects have been detained and gang bosses have been executed.


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China

Diplomacy

New rules give extra teeth to efforts to stamp out critical mineral smuggling and leaks of strategically vital technology


New rules give extra teeth to efforts to stamp out critical mineral smuggling and leaks of strategically vital technology.


Beijing to impose exit bans for export control, tech transfer breaches

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}New rules give extra teeth to efforts to stamp out critical mineral smuggling and leaks of strategically vital technology

New rules give extra teeth to efforts to stamp out critical mineral smuggling and leaks of strategically vital technology