A day before China’s sweeping Exit-Entry Administration Regulation entered into force, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) convened a public forum in Taipei to spell out the practical risks the measure poses for cross-strait travellers. Deputy minister Shen Yu-chung told the audience on 14 September that the regulation dramatically expands the circumstances in which Chinese immigration officers can demand access to travellers’ digital devices and can bar individuals from departing the mainland for six months to three years—without having to notify them in advance. Five categories of travellers were singled out as especially vulnerable: Taiwan businesspeople stationed on the mainland, C-suite executives visiting Chinese partners, semiconductor and other high-tech professionals, frontline civil servants and members of religious organisations Beijing views as sensitive. Legal experts at the forum noted that the regulation rests on the 2012 Exit-Entry Law, which China applies to Taiwanese as “Chinese citizens.” Combined with the 2023 Counter-Espionage Law amendments, the new rules give border officers wide discretion to copy or inspect phones and laptops for data that they deem relevant to “national security” or “industrial security” concerns such as chip design know-how. For companies, the MAC urged the adoption of “clean-phone” protocols, mandatory pre-trip registration and contingency plans for staff who might be prevented from leaving. Shen emphasised that Taipei will keep its travel alert for China at the current “orange” level—avoid non-essential travel—but will update guidance as the regulation beds in. The episode underscores the growing compliance burden on multinational firms whose mobility programmes include mainland China. HR and risk managers are advised to review device policies, map employee exposure to China’s export-control regime and brief travellers on potential searches at the border.
Source: Focus Taiwan / CNA
