China tightens restrictions on ‘non-essential’ overseas travel amid growing lockdown frustration

Chinese authorities have effectively enforced a de facto ban on international travel, prohibiting citizens from leaving the country for 'non-essential' reasons, as the government intensifies efforts to uphold its zero-Covid policy.

In a statement released Thursday, the Chinese National Immigration Administration announced it would tighten the process for issuing travel documents, such as passports, and impose strict limits on citizens seeking to travel abroad.

The administration defended the new measures, stating they were necessary to 'reduce the risk of infection when leaving and bringing the virus back into the country.' Travel will be allowed only for 'essential' reasons, including work, education, business, scientific research, and medical care.

Applications for travel related to pandemic response efforts or the transportation of disaster relief supplies will be prioritized, according to the announcement.

Officials did not disclose how they plan to enforce the new travel restrictions or prevent individuals with valid travel documents from departing.

The new measures mark China's toughest outbound travel restrictions in decades, adding more pressure on a population that has already endured over two years of severe Covid-19 controls, including citywide lockdowns, mass testing, and mandatory quarantine.

A popular comment circulating on China’s Twitter-like platform, Weibo, read: 'Don't go out unless absolutely necessary, don't leave the country unless essential, don't even be born unless it's necessary.'

Some speculated that the authorities are clamping down on travel as more people look to flee the country due to fears of impending government-enforced lockdowns, particularly in Beijing, where Covid cases are rising. These anxieties have been heightened by the chaos unfolding in locked-down cities like Shanghai.

One Weibo comment stated, 'Those trying to escape China fear that people's rights and dignity are meaningless in the face of the government's unchecked power during this outbreak.'

Another user on Weibo asked, 'Are we returning to the isolationist policies of the Qing Dynasty?' referring to the final years of China's last imperial dynasty, which saw the nation increasingly cut off from the global community.

Shutting down the exit

Until the early 2000s, outbound travel for ordinary Chinese citizens was heavily restricted, but it surged as household incomes grew and the government relaxed its policies. In 2019, the last year of normal travel before the pandemic, Chinese citizens made 670 million overseas trips, according to the country's Immigration Administration.

However, that number has dropped significantly since, with just over 73 million inbound and outbound trips recorded in 2021.

Even before Thursday's announcement, traveling in and out of China had become extremely difficult. The borders remain mostly closed to foreigners, with entry only permitted for Chinese citizens returning from abroad and those holding special visas or residency permits. Flight availability is limited and prices are high, and anyone entering the country usually faces a mandatory quarantine of up to 21 days.

China has further discouraged international travel by drastically reducing the number of travel documents issued. In 2021, only 7.98 million documents were issued, less than 6% of the number issued in 2019, according to the Immigration Administration, which also announced in February that it would stop renewing passports for 'non-essential' travel.

Thursday's new restrictions are a setback for Chinese citizens married to foreign nationals and could further hinder students hoping to study abroad. These students, already facing disappointment after the United States College Board announced the cancellation of Advanced Placement (AP) tests in several locations, now face even more obstacles due to widespread Covid restrictions.

Six weeks of lockdown

Public discontent has been steadily rising in recent months as authorities nationwide have imposed lockdowns, sometimes triggered by just a small number of cases.

Currently, at least 32 cities across China are under full or partial lockdown, affecting up to 220 million people, according to Dinogo’s estimates.

The most significant of these lockdowns is in Shanghai, the affluent financial center, which has been in complete lockdown since late March. Throughout April, residents trapped at home reported being unable to access food, medicine, or other vital necessities.

In recent days, social media has seen an outpouring of complaints about community workers entering people's homes without consent and damaging personal property during disinfection efforts. One widely circulated video captured residents arguing with police who were attempting to forcibly remove them from their homes. It remains unclear under what policy this action was taken or where the residents were being relocated.

With the possibility of Beijing being the next city to face strict lockdown measures, fears have escalated. Authorities have urged residents to remain indoors and launched additional rounds of mass testing. This led to panic buying, with images circulating of crowded supermarkets as people scrambled to stock up on essentials in preparation for a potential lockdown.

On Thursday, Beijing officials denied rumors of an imminent lockdown and reassured the public that there were ample supplies available, urging people not to stockpile food. However, their assurances have done little to quell anxiety, given the public’s diminished trust, especially after Shanghai's sudden lockdown despite earlier denials from its authorities.

One Weibo user commented under a video of Beijing officials trying to reassure the public, saying, 'This looks all too familiar.' Another user remarked, 'Who would take the risk after what we learned?'