Beijing’s campaign against foreign influence takes aim at national security amid tense Western relations.
Travel restrictions, previously limited to high-ranking government officials, now extend to nearly 80 million of China’s civil servants.
Reuters also found eight public announcements over the past two years by eight government entities, including the national pension fund, that indicated they were strengthening rules around workers’ personal trips outside China, without detailing all the changes. Political ideology was a factor, too, Thomas said, with Xi wanting to “look inward for ideas” rather than seek inspiration from the West.
Both discovered the constraints, which they said were unprecedented, when applying for time off in early 2023.