Illustrative image: Surveillance cameras surrounding Beijing's Tiananmen Square closely monitor the movements of people in the area. (Screenshot from the internet)
[People News] In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has intensified control over the movements of personnel in key sectors such as banking, research institutions, and state-owned enterprises. In addition to requiring approval for international travel, some organizations now mandate employees to report or seek permission before leaving their residential cities, specifying their reasons for travel. A resident of Shenzhen revealed that deputy division-level managers and above must submit applications in advance even for travel to Guangzhou.
Jiang Liping, an employee of a Chinese commercial bank, told Radio Free Asia on Friday (March 21) that strict travel restrictions are in place for deputy director-level and above bank officials: "Now, the movement of senior bank officials is strictly controlled. For example, if you work at a Shenzhen bank and want to travel to Guangzhou, you must report in advance, specifying the date of your leave, the purpose of your trip, and your planned activities. If you fail to report your travel but use public transportation like a plane or high-speed rail, your identity will be recorded when you purchase a ticket. The bank’s inspection team can access this information through their internal system. If you travel without prior reporting, you will be questioned."
Reports suggest that these measures have been in place for several years across China, but they remain largely unknown to the public. Jiang Liping added that private car travel is not yet subject to location tracking: "Driving is currently not monitored because you don’t need to show your ID to buy a ticket."
Beijing Banks Implement Mobile Tracking Systems
Zhou, the wife of an employee at the Bank of Communications in Beijing, disclosed that an employee from the bank’s loan approval department recently received a call from the internal monitoring team while driving to Tianjin over the weekend. The caller questioned why he had left Beijing without prior notice: "He had just driven out of Beijing and crossed into Hebei province when his boss called and asked, ‘Why did you leave Beijing without notifying us? Where are you going?’ That’s terrifying!"
Attempts by Radio Free Asia to contact the president’s office at the Bank of Communications in Beijing and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Shenzhen went unanswered.
Jiang Liping, who frequently travels to Beijing for work, confirmed: "For senior executives in Beijing’s banking sector, as well as personnel in important scientific research positions, an additional tracking system is in place—mobile phone tracking. No matter where they go, their movements can be monitored. If they drive out of Beijing, their location can still be tracked. Beijing’s control is even stricter in this regard."
Wang, whose son works in scientific research in Beijing, recently learned from him that leaving the city now requires written approval from higher authorities: "If your superior signs off on it, only then can you leave Beijing—let alone travel abroad. They mainly target people within the system, but they can’t control everyone. Those who really want to leave will always find a way. The mobile tracking system is very advanced now. The moment you step one meter outside of Beijing, the telecom company immediately receives a location update. Surveillance has become so extreme that it’s almost civilized. The more they control, the freer we become! (laughs)"
(Adapted from Radio Free Asia)
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