The Chinese Ministry of State Security recently issued a warning to citizens to be cautious when traveling abroad to prevent infiltration or subversion from overseas. Analysts criticize the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for attempting to rationalize their own infiltration activities through propaganda, which is essentially a case of “the thief crying thief.”
According to the article published on November 26th on the Ministry of State Security’s WeChat account, in recent years, some university groups traveling for study abroad have faced interrogation upon entry into certain countries, had their personal belongings such as phones and computers forcibly checked, and have even been detained in airport “black rooms.” In addition, foreign intelligence agencies use methods such as “forced intimacy” and creating artificial differences to recruit, especially targeting professionals and students in key areas such as cutting-edge technology, national defense industry, and biomedicine. The Chinese Ministry of State Security reminds people traveling abroad to remain vigilant.
In response to this, the Assistant Researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, Yang Yijun, stated in an interview with Voice of America that the CCP is projecting its own actions onto others in order to justify itself, confusing the public and shifting the focus.
The Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council has previously pointed out that Taiwanese scholars participating in academic exchanges in China have been detained for up to 4 hours upon entry, and their personal items such as luggage, phones, and laptops were once confiscated.
Dong Liwen, Executive Director of the Taiwan Asia-Pacific Peace Foundation, told Voice of America that overseas individuals, especially Taiwanese people entering China, are subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the Chinese Ministry of State Security, leaving those affected unprepared. He mentioned several scholars who have experienced various degrees of harassment ranging from minor disturbances to severe torture.
According to Dong Liwen, being searched upon arrival at a Chinese airport and having personal items and electronic devices examined, or being interrogated for three to five hours in a “small room,” is considered the least severe treatment. National security or public security personnel would directly enter rooms to harass individuals, detain them at hotels for three to five days, and in more serious cases, individuals are taken from the airport or hotel to small rooms in national security units for interrogation lasting three to seven days or even detention, investigation, and prosecution.
Dong Liwen pointed out that the CCP not only asks questions but also conducts a “retrospective investigation of the past 20 years,” demanding a detailed account of one’s activities during that period, considering guilt at their own discretion.
Using the example of a scholar conducting research on China, he stated that the CCP had access to all the research projects commissioned by the Taiwanese government over the past 20 years, subjecting the scholar to a prolonged interrogation process, sometimes lasting at least six months. The scholar was accused of subverting state power and imprisoned for four years before being held for an additional two years upon release.
The Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council outlined three high-risk groups traveling to China: individuals who have openly criticized CCP-related party and government issues or human rights problems, professionals in the high-tech service industry, and individuals active in civil organizations or groups.
Dong Liwen further mentioned that over the past five years, the Chinese Ministry of State Security has continuously expanded its powers, not only by amending relevant national security laws to broaden the scope of national security but also by encompassing the authority to interpret and enforce laws. The concept of national security has extended to every aspect and field of people’s lives, including China’s diplomacy, economy, and even the corruption within the People’s Liberation Army. This alert regarding university faculty and students traveling abroad for study is a development within this context.
Yang Yijun criticized the CCP’s highest national security agency for issuing warnings to prevent overseas infiltration or subversion while utilizing students studying abroad for espionage activities, labeling this behavior as “the thief crying thief.”