Renowned Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, who was released from prison in April this year, continues to be under strict surveillance by the authorities, with his whole family restricted from leaving the country. In the midst of the recent strong public outcry sparked by the new exit and entry regulations in China, Yu Wensheng took to X platform to publicly express, “We really want to leave China.”
On August 1, Yu Wensheng wrote in a post: “My wife, son, and I have all been restricted from leaving the country, all under the reason of ‘possibility of endangering national security upon exit,’ without any written notice. We are not sure if the authorities under the new regulations can give us a written notice, and we want to know the time limit of our travel restrictions. We really want to leave China.”
The newly introduced “State Council Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration” – I won’t comment too much on it, as the restriction on exiting now has legal basis.
Currently, my wife, son, and I are all restricted from leaving the country, all under the reason of ‘possibility of endangering national security upon exit,’ without any written notice.
We are not sure if the authorities in China can provide us with a written notice after the new regulations are implemented, and we want to know the ‘time limit of our travel restrictions.’
We really want to leave China…
Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan were taken into custody by the police while traveling to meet officials from the EU delegation in Beijing in April 2023. On October 29, 2024, they were sentenced to 3 years and 1 year 9 months respectively for “inciting subversion of state power” by the Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court. Xu Yan was released in early 2025 upon serving her sentence.
The new exit and entry regulations issued by the Chinese Communist Party have sparked strong public criticisms. Chinese human rights lawyer Xu Silong told Dajiyuan that the new regulations clearly state that Chinese individuals who may pose a threat to national security and interests are not allowed to exit the country. This will further expand the comprehensive control over the Chinese people. “Just like those of us who are forced to live abroad, as long as you have criticized the CCP, there will be a high risk if you return to China.”
Xu Silong pointed out that the most troublesome aspect is that the authorities do not inform the individuals of the reasons for their travel restrictions. The authorities can carry out criminal investigations entirely under the guise of endangering national security. “This can be abused against every individual who is restricted from exiting.”
Xu Silong believes that the new exit and entry regulations further expand the power of the CCP. Previously, border controls were only imposed on specific groups, such as human rights lawyers like Yu Wensheng, Lu Siwei, and Wendonghai, dissidents, and human rights defenders. “After the implementation of the new regulations, it might expand to all Chinese people, leading to a trend of isolation and lockdown.”
Analysts believe that the CCP’s introduction of new exit and entry regulations at this time has political and economic reasons. Politically, it aims to further deprive citizens of their rights and restrict freedom of speech. Once the authorities find online criticism of the government, they will restrict the individual from leaving. “Chinese people will be even more hesitant to speak out in the future. The authorities aim to control the entire population and prevent them from speaking or acting recklessly.”
Economically, with the continuing downturn of the Chinese economy and staggering central and local debts, since Xi Jinping took office and implemented high-pressure policies, many entrepreneurs and wealthy individuals have left China, taking away a large amount of wealth. “These people are not valued as talents by the CCP, but as servants. The CCP does not want the outflow of these servants or wealth. By staying in China, it can seize their assets at any time.”