In response to Beijing’s new exit-entry regime, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a public advisory on 14 September identifying five categories of Taiwanese residents who should “exercise extreme caution” when visiting mainland China. The groups include civil servants, religious and NGO workers, senior executives in high-tech sectors, outspoken political commentators and recently retired military or police personnel. Deputy Minister Shen You-zong told reporters that the expanded authority to inspect electronic devices and impose exit bans “significantly increases personal-safety risks.” According to MAC statistics, 440 Taiwanese have been reported missing, detained or subject to exit restrictions in China since 2024—nine new cases in the past week alone. Legal experts at a Taipei seminar warned that Taiwanese holding sensitive corporate data could be compelled to surrender it at the border, potentially breaching client confidentiality and export-control laws in third countries. Businesses are advised to conduct risk assessments and ensure that staff register their itineraries with MAC before departure so authorities can provide consular support if problems arise. The advisory comes as a Taiwanese delegation prepares to attend the APEC Human Resource Ministers’ Meeting in Nanjing next week. MAC said officials would travel under APEC documentation, but noted that China unilaterally issued “Taiwan Compatriot Permits” in previous cases, complicating nationality status. For mobility managers, the takeaway is to treat cross-strait travel as high risk: dual filing of travel plans with both corporate security teams and Taiwanese authorities is now standard practice.
Source: PTS News (Taiwan)
