In recent days, the Chinese border inspection has intensified the scrutiny of residents’ movements at entry and exit ports, especially focusing on individuals who have been in contact with foreign consulates in Hong Kong. Some mainland residents have encountered long interrogations and equipment checks when returning, causing concerns among the public about the expanding “red line” of overseas contacts.
Mr. Zeng, who works in the catering industry in Chengdu, traveled to Hong Kong during the May 1st holiday and visited the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong to inquire about visa information. Unexpectedly, on his return journey through the Luohu port in Shenzhen, he was stopped by border inspection due to an “abnormality” in his documents and taken into a small room for questioning for up to three hours.
“He said there were some issues with my pass and needed further verification. After taking me to the small room, he asked me to hand over my phone and unlock it. I hesitated for a moment, and he said, ‘Not cooperating will affect your clearance,’ so I had no choice but to comply.”
Mr. Zeng said that the enforcement officers thoroughly examined his communication records, photos, and location history, then began questioning, with the queries clearly pointing towards his visit to the U.S. consulate. “They initially asked me what I did in Hong Kong, if I had contact with foreigners. I replied that I was only shopping and sightseeing. But soon they asked more specific questions, like whether I had been to the U.S. consulate, what I did there.”
He explained, “I didn’t volunteer the information, but they seemed to already know. I had to admit that I indeed went to inquire about visa matters. They continued to ask how I knew I could enter, how I made an appointment, who received me, if they provided me with information, and even why I didn’t use an intermediary in Chengdu. I explained that the U.S. consulate in Chengdu had long been closed, so I could only make appointments online in Hong Kong.”
What made Mr. Zeng even more uneasy was that the on-site personnel called the Chengdu public security department to verify his background. “The person on the phone directly mentioned my name, address, workplace, and even asked if I was a restaurant owner. That’s when I realized that their system had a very clear understanding of my situation.”
Although ultimately being cleared under the pretext of a “routine check,” Mr. Zeng felt like he was being interrogated throughout the process. “I thought I was just an ordinary citizen, never expected that visiting the U.S. consulate would lead to such scrutiny, it really caught me off guard. But they couldn’t find any fault with my actions.”
Mr. Shen, a resident of Chongqing, had a similar experience. After celebrating Chinese New Year, he traveled to Hong Kong and lined up outside the U.S. consulate in Central. A week after returning, he received a call from the local police station, saying they wanted to “understand the situation.” “Without overthinking, I went, but at the police station, the officers directly asked me if I entered the U.S. consulate during my time in Hong Kong, if I obtained their contact information. I explained that I merely made a simple inquiry and didn’t leave any details, but they still took a statement and repeatedly confirmed my interaction process with consulate staff.”
Though Mr. Shen was not detained, he clearly felt a sense of surveillance. “I’m just an ordinary white-collar worker, not involved in any sensitive activities, just on a leisure trip, and yet I came under scrutiny. While the incident may be in the past, it still leaves a bitter taste when I recall it.”
Mr. Hong, who migrated to Canada and works in network engineering, analyzed that the Chinese authorities have deployed a large number of high-precision facial recognition systems in recent years, especially in “high-risk foreign-related” areas. “From domestic U.S. consulates, foreign media offices, university lectures, and even foreign restaurants, surveillance cameras and facial recognition systems are in place, instantly identifying suspicious individuals and providing analysis.”
Mr. Hong pointed out that such monitoring is not isolated but multidimensional, including CCTV, facial recognition, border crossing records, hotel stay tracks, and other data being interconnected. “Once the system deems someone ‘suspicious,’ it could trigger further actions like border inspection or community police intervention.”
Concerning the Chinese surveillance cameras, mainstream media in China have long exposed their proliferation, with cameras scattered throughout streets and alleys. According to Wikipedia, by 2019, there were approximately 200 million “Skynet” public surveillance cameras; by 2023, the estimated number had reached 700 million, almost reaching a “one camera for every two people” level. In rural areas, there is a surveillance system known as the “Bright Project,” covering villages, fields, and roads.
According to public data from the Hong Kong police, as of April 2025, the “SmartView Plan” had deployed 615 sets of camera systems and plans to increase to 6,000 to 7,000 sets by 2027, connecting to systems like the Transport Department, MTR Corporation, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Housing Department, with a total of over 20,000 cameras forming a city-wide integrated surveillance network.
Muslim from Xinjiang, Mr. Aiken, shared a similar experience from five years ago. When returning from Hong Kong to the mainland, he was detained at the Luohu port for questioning for up to 9 hours. “They saw that my ID stated Xinjiang as my birthplace, and immediately took me aside. They even called the police station in my hometown for video confirmation of my identity, checked my phone, and only released me after a whole day. Before leaving, they warned me not to talk about it.”
Since the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020, Beijing has significantly tightened its control over the city. Increasing signs indicate that activities of mainland visitors to Hong Kong have been incorporated into the mainland’s public security system’s suspicious behavior identification model, especially interactions with foreign entities.
Mr. Xie, a scholar studying China-related issues, stated that the related cases show that Beijing has included contacts between ordinary people and foreign institutions as “high-risk behaviors” for monitoring. “The backgrounds of the individuals involved in Chengdu and Chongqing are extremely ordinary, which makes them more prone to let their guard down. While Hong Kong still nominally remains an international city, for mainland Chinese, it has gradually become an extension of the CCP’s governance system.”