CCP China tightens exit restrictions across multiple regions

 Direct Translation

Taking the first step towards North Korea-like policies, China tightens restrictions across multiple regions

—Beijing tightens control measures again? Mid-level managers in state-owned enterprises must obtain approval to leave Beijing; netizens exclaim "North Korea-like" measures

Reporter : Wang Duruo / Editor: Fang Xun / https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0512/2382797.html

Recently, a post about Beijing strengthening controls on the movement of personnel within the system has sparked heated discussion on the X platform.

On the 9th, a netizen named "Pathfinder" posted, "Beijing has now gone so far as to require even mid-level cadres of state-owned enterprises under ordinary ministries to report their departure from Beijing—not even abroad, just leaving Beijing—regardless of whether it's for official or private purposes. Is this necessary? Is it really necessary?"

The post quickly gained significant attention, with many netizens confirming that similar measures had already been implemented in many parts of the country, but now Beijing has also begun to tighten them across the board.

Some netizens pointed out that the "reporting mechanism" established during the pandemic has not ended but has been retained indefinitely.

"It's been like this since the beginning of the pandemic, and after the pandemic ended, this management method was directly continued."

Netizens from Tianjin, Guangxi, and other places also stated that local civil servants and public institution employees had long been required to report their departure from the city.

"Tianjin started this a while ago; serving civil servants are required to report when leaving the city."

"In a certain area of ​​Guangxi, grassroots public institutions have always required reporting when leaving the autonomous region, it was suspended for a while, but has now resumed."

What is even more shocking to many is that, besides civil servants, some doctors, state-owned enterprise cadres, and even ordinary public institution employees are also facing increasingly strict travel restrictions.

One netizen revealed: "Now, even top doctors in provincial capitals have to report when leaving the province."

An insider also said that passports and Hong Kong and Macau travel permits have been uniformly collected for years, making international travel virtually impossible.

"A friend within the system said that even domestic tourism is difficult now. Others don't ask for leave, so it's very awkward for you to ask for leave alone. As for international travel, forget about it; passports have long been confiscated."

Some netizens believe that this practice reflects a growing security anxiety within the CCP.

Some described it as "the first step towards North Korea-ization," while others sarcastically remarked, "The Qing Dynasty kept princes in the capital to prevent them from plotting rebellions. Now they're guarding against mid-level state-owned enterprise cadres to this extent; it shows how weak the authorities are."

Of course, some supporters argued that government-funded personnel "should be available at a moment's notice," and that stricter control is "normal."

However, a large number of comments indicate that the real discontent comes from within the system. One person bluntly stated, "Eighty percent of the comments are from their own people criticizing it because their interests have been affected."

In recent years, the CCP has continuously strengthened political security and social stability. From health codes and travel codes during the pandemic to the current centralized storage of passports within the system, approval for leaving Beijing, and registration for inter-provincial travel, more and more people are worried that Chinese society is gradually moving towards a more closed and high-pressure "quasi-wartime management."

Aboluowang commentator Wang Duren commented: In the past, the CCP mainly controlled the people; now even those within the system are under tight surveillance. Passport surrender, approval for leaving Beijing, and registration for inter-provincial travel show that what the authorities truly fear is not just public discontent, but also internal loss of control. When even the ruling class begins to lose its freedom, the CCP's foundation of rule will become increasingly unstable. When even "its own people" begin to be guarded against, it often means that the regime has begun to fear its own collapse.