Want to travel to China, but am scared. Is it irrational?

[Anonymous]

Do not go. CEOs are at risk in China.

[Anonymous]

Don't go if you are anybody of importance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:China seeks like an odd choice for a vacay if you are like the CEO at Lockheed or something. Why not wait until retirement or choose some where else? Do not bring any devices other than burners.

If you were the CEO of Lockheed Martin and you took an unscheduled, unannounced "vacation" to China, you would be in so much shit being instantly fired wouldn't be enough.

Lol I don’t think china would let you in if you’re the ceo of lockheed

[Anonymous]

Gee sounds like a fun place. Why give them anymore of our money? I'm sure if you give us a list of all the places you have visited, we could suggest one where you haven't been. Far better than China.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm just an average woman with an average job but no way would I travel to Russia or China.

Tech CEOs from the US and Canada are of particular risk of being locked up for years in China for no reason. The Wall Street Journal carries a lot of articles on Tech CEOs imprisoned in China. A lot of these CEOs are accused of espionage or drug smuggling.

I also do not want to support a regime that practices cultural genocide on their citizens. The Uyghurs are
involuntarily sterilized because they are not Han Chinese.

[Anonymous]

OP clearly implied that nowhere in Africa is worth going to. How offensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's say you are someone of fair importance (e.g. CEO, high up in a tech company, work for defense or govt, or some other kinda stuff.like that). Is it a risk to travel to China? I would love to go there and see all of the wonderful sites, experience the history, enjoy the food, and see the people, but I am scared to death of their govt. I mean, they'll obviously know who you are the moment you immediately walk in because of things like your LinkedIn profile. I have this fear that I'd be flagged and followed by the govt over there or at least have my communications hacked at a minimum. Are these fears irrational? Do they generally leave tourists and civilians alone, even if they might be carrying very valuable corporate trade secrets around in their brains and devices?

There was a reddit thread the other day too of a tourist who jaywalked in China. He described how when he got back to the hotel the manager informed him to try to not do it again. The lint of the discussion being that big brother was watching him walk over there and.must have had some kind of facial recognition software and immediately knew where he was staying. They dispatched govt agents to tell the hotel staff to scold the tourist for jaywalking. Stuff like this scares me from trying to travel there.

And yes, I get the geopolitical issues between the countries are a problem, but do the civilians on the street generally care about this stuff and would you get treated with hostility for being an American tourist? I mean here you're average Joe in the streets care little about US Chinese relations and I feel would welcome Chinese tourists. Is it the same over there? Am not Asian, so it is impossible to blend in.

It's not like Russia where they arrest visitors on trumped up charges. Obey the drug laws and don't join a protest.

The reason I wouldn't go is because I cannot abide the illegitimate tyrannical mafia that that runs the country.

[Anonymous]

Do you know anyone in the foreign policy/think tank world focusing on China? I’d ask people with more direct knowledge. If you are carrying only a burner phone and are able to completely disconnect from work while there, I think chances are good you will be fine, but I assume your susceptibility to surveillance or recruitment efforts or unlawful detention depends on what level of access and information you have.

I am Chinese-American and want very much to visit my ancestral home villages — aging parents and recent family research are a particular driver in my case. However I am also a government lawyer (for a fed agency), and have no desire to be targeted for surveillance, etc., by the government. No security clearance and no special technical knowledge however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:China seeks like an odd choice for a vacay if you are like the CEO at Lockheed or something. Why not wait until retirement or choose some where else? Do not bring any devices other than burners.

I've been almost everywhere else worth going. Europe, South America, allover Asia. China is just the last frontier before I get too old to travel and enjoy everything from hiking to nightlife.

If someone like you does to, you should have to sign a waiver acknowledging that you knew what risks you were taking and that the government will do absolutely nothing whatsoever to get you out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you had a high level security clearance or were truly "important" you wouldn't even be asking this question because you would already know.

I think that travel reporters or travel website AIs are flooding this forum with queries to get information. I don’t have a problem with reporters or AIs getting background information here, but they should disclose what they’re doing.

[Anonymous]

Most “important” people aren’t allowed by their work to travel there.
I personally love China and can’t wait to go back, but I am also a nobody.

[Anonymous]

+1. If you are of high importance in your organization that is defense related or high tech, you won't be looking at China for tourism purposes. Full stop. That's why this isn't a real question.

As a nobody with some money to spend, it would be fine.

[Anonymous]

If your position is prominent you really should inform your employer of your wish to travel there, as there could be prohibitions, and - if not - you risk some amount of public embarrassment for your company with anti-China sentiment in the U.S. They will go through your electronics and belongings so do not bring a personal device in. They could detain you for any reason but that's not very likely. Yes, they will track you. Depending on your position, political leaders may seek you out and try to have uncomfortable conversations about needing help with the U.S. government.

[Anonymous]

Fake question. Your work should have a policy that applies to you already that you should already know.

[Anonymous]

Millions of US tourists visit China annually. I am someone of a fairly high level of importance (although not a CEO) and have never had any problem there. My friend is a CFO of a medium size company and was just there last week with no problem at all.

The jaywalking story quite frankly seems fake as hell to me. If you or your friend really knew anything about China, you would know the street traffic and pedestrian situation is complete chaos. I fondly remember crossing a street WITH my signal and having two huge buses make left turns simultaneously without yielding, they passed me one on each side in the middle of their turn and I was trapped in a two foot wide space with buses going 20 mph on either side of me.

Nobody is visiting a hotel to scold a foreigner who jaywalked.