Chinese Communist Party Strengthens Surveillance on Key Personnel of Banks and Research Institutions

In recent years, the Chinese Communist government has implemented stricter restrictions on the movements of management personnel in banks, research institutions, and state-owned enterprises across the country. In addition to requiring approval for outbound travel, some institutions also require employees to report to their superiors or apply for permission and provide reasons when leaving their residential city. A commercial bank employee in Shenzhen revealed that if employees do not report as required and use public transportation for their travels, the bank can access information through relevant department computer systems and question employees who did not report.

According to Radio Free Asia, on March 21st, a commercial bank employee in China named Jiang Liping disclosed that strict restrictions have been imposed on private out-of-town trips by senior-level employees at the bank: “Now there are management restrictions on the movements of bank management personnel. For example, if you are from Shenzhen Bank and need to go to Guangzhou, you have to report when you are taking a holiday from Shenzhen to Guangzhou, the purpose of the trip, and what you will be doing. If you leave the city without reporting and take public transportation such as airplanes or high-speed trains, you definitely need to purchase plane tickets or high-speed train tickets and show your ID. The bank has a department that functions as an inspection team, and they can retrieve this information from the computer. If you haven’t reported in advance, you will be questioned.”

It is understood that the above measures have been implemented in various parts of China for several years, but are little known to the public. Jiang Liping added that mobile phone tracking is not currently being used if driving to places like Guangzhou: “At the moment, they cannot track you when driving because no ID is needed to purchase tickets.”

A woman named Zhou, relative of an employee at Beijing Bank, revealed that an employee from the loan review department was questioned by their supervisor over the weekend while driving to Tianjin, asking why they did not report in advance: “This person had just left Beijing and entered Hebei Province’s territory when they received a call from their supervisor saying, ‘How did you leave Beijing without informing us? Where are you going?’ Isn’t that too frightening?”

When the media called the office of the president of Beijing Bank and Shenzhen Industrial Bank, no one answered the phone.

Jiang Liping, who frequently travels to Beijing for business, stated: “In Beijing banks, higher-ranking officials and some key personnel engaged in scientific research have another tracking system, that is, mobile phone tracking. Wherever you go, they can see your movements. If you drive from Beijing to another city, you can be tracked. Management in Beijing is possibly stricter in this aspect.”

Mr. Wang, whose son works in scientific research in Beijing, recently heard from his son that leaving Beijing requires approval from higher-ups to sign off: “You need a leader’s signature and stamp to leave Beijing, let alone going abroad. The system only controls those within the system, but some can still get out. The monitoring function of mobile phones is strong nowadays. As soon as you pass one meter beyond Beijing’s boundary, the mobile company immediately has feedback.”

Mr. Kong from Shandong mentioned that due to financial risks, some bank staff members took desperate actions, leading authorities to restrict the activities of management personnel after work hours. He revealed: “Many people are running away; they have emptied the deposits in the bank, causing one bank to lose three billion yuan which they cannot recover.”

Over the years, the Chinese Communist government has gradually strengthened its border control, especially for sensitive position personnel.

Reports indicate that in recent years, the Chinese government has tightened exit reviews for civil servants, senior executives of state-owned enterprises, and specific public sector employees, including requiring the surrender of passports and strict approval of overseas travel applications.

Furthermore, some reports mention that senior management personnel in some state-owned enterprises need approval to travel abroad. Officials from various departments of the State Council of the Chinese Communist Party adopt a hierarchical approval system, where department heads need approval from bureau directors to travel abroad, and bureau directors need approval from ministers to prevent officials from fleeing. However, some official policies are not fully disclosed.