“Bian Kong” (边控): border controls redux

When I first arrived in China in 1976, Biān kòng (controlling the border -- aka, not letting people travel freely) was for everyone, coming or going, foreigner or Chinese. You couldn’t freely travel to China; you couldn’t freely leave it. Then, suddenly, you could. After Deng Xiaoping’s policies. Since the late 80s and up to now, you could come and go as you wished.

 Now not so much. Wang Xiangwei recently returned to Hong Kong after many years in Beijing talks of his contacts, caught up in the maw of the state. They could number in the millions. Kafka at work…

The ominous-sounding Chinese phrase bian kong, or exit bans, now often enters the table talk among the executives, particularly after some wine loosens their tongues. The phrase refers to a policy tool increasingly being used by the authorities to prevent people from leaving the country amid suspicions or accusations of wrongdoing or simply because they are on the wrong side of a business dispute or work for the wrong people. [More…]