[China Observation]Behind the CCP’s Restriction of Exits and Lockdown of International Calls | The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China |

[Epoch Times, May 16, 2022](Reported by Epoch Times reporters Ning Haizhong and Luo Ya) The CCP has been continuously closing the country, restricting citizens from leaving the country on the grounds of epidemic prevention, and locking international calls on the grounds of anti-fraud. Strong criticism. Legal professionals point out that this is a tort. The political motives behind the official operation are also of concern.

Is the restriction of citizens receiving international calls related to the sensitive situation of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China?

Zhejiang Mobile notified users that the international, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan voice answering function will be disabled by default. If you want to activate it, you need to send an application before May 20. Jiangxi, Hebei, Henan, Liaoning, Guizhou, and Zhejiang have successively changed the international and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan SMS receiving functions to the default closed state since August last year.

After Blue Whale Finance verified the news with the relevant person in charge of China Mobile Zhejiang, a number of official media, including Xinhua News Agency, also reported on the matter.

According to a report by Hexun News Network on May 16, the above-mentioned provinces are only pilot projects. In the future, the function of receiving SMS from international, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will be closed or expanded to the whole country. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the Communist Party of China responded that there is currently no notification of relevant plans.

Regarding the measures taken by the above-mentioned provinces, the operators all claimed that they were shutting down the international, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan SMS and voice answering functions in accordance with the requirements of the higher authorities to prevent overseas telephone fraud and protect the safety of people’s property.

Mr. Zhang, a doctor of law in Beijing, told The Epoch Times on May 16 that the authorities ordered the unilateral shutdown of the international calling function of mobile phone cards on the grounds of preventing overseas fraud. Although it was in the name of protecting people’s property, there was no doubt is illegal. Because citizens have obtained mobile phone cards and signed contracts with the three major operators of China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, the contract has included the function of automatic answering of international calls for so many years.

“You are now taking the initiative to close it without authorization, and you must let citizens and users apply automatically before opening it. It is illegal in any case, and it is also a violation of the contract. Moreover, this excessive so-called concern has penetrated into the private life of citizens and mobile phone users. According to the modern spirit of the rule of law, it is unacceptable.”

He believes that there are other ways that authorities can take to prevent crackdowns and prevent people from using international phone scams. For example, when a citizen’s bank card transfers funds to an overseas account, the banking department takes precautions in advance and intercepts it. But the phone cannot be cut off at the entrance.

Mr. Zhang said: “This is the case with all the communist camps, starting from the Soviet Union, with a high degree of centralization, a high degree of autocracy, and omnipotent, excessive and over-standard spying on the private life of citizens.”

He questioned the real motives of the official legal practice. “The government of the communist totalitarian camp, their public claims (reasons) have always been untrustworthy.”

An unnamed lawyer in Henan told The Epoch Times that it is illegal for telecommunications companies to shut down their customers’ overseas communications without permission. Customers have freedom of communication, and the authorities regard all overseas calls as fraudulent calls. This is obviously overkill, to put it bluntly. Similar to shutting down the country.

He said: “The same is true of Internet access. All website information on the Internet is blocked. Now the voice and phone calls are turned off. This is a manifestation of the isolation of the country, and it also violates the freedom of citizens to speak and communicate.”

Ms. Wu, a Beijing resident, told The Epoch Times on May 15 that they would consider it abnormal for families with relatives abroad and children studying abroad.

“This kind of thing must be supported by someone at the top. The next step may be to promote it nationwide, and then it will be like North Korea. Now let’s try it out and see how everyone reacts.”

Ms. Wu said that because those who are in power now basically came during the Cultural Revolution. They feel that people don’t need to know more about the outside world now, or fear that the outside world will know what they’re doing. After all these are blocked, people can control their thoughts and speeches.

Ms. Wu believes that this has something to do with the sensitive situation of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. “I read the news now and feel that this period of time is relatively chaotic. After the 20th National Congress, it may be better for things to stabilize.”

At the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China this fall, Xi Jinping is expected to seek re-election in a break with convention, and information about the fierce infighting at the top of the Communist Party is constantly being released.

What is the motive behind the ban on “non-essential travel”?

Before this international call was closed by default, causing controversy, the CCP’s Immigration Administration’s WeChat account issued a document on May 12 saying that the Immigration Administration’s party group held a meeting on the 10th. Due to the needs of epidemic prevention, strict implementation of strict entry and exit policies was required. Strictly restrict Chinese citizens’ “non-essential exit” activities. The news detonated the Internet.

The new measures of the Immigration Administration require that the entry-exit administration department and the general border inspection station strictly implement the strict and strict entry-exit policy, strictly restrict the “non-essential exit” activities of Chinese citizens, and strictly approve the issuance of entry-exit documents; it is necessary to strictly prevent staying abroad. People gathered at the border, illegal entry “brought into the epidemic”, etc.

Xu Ganlu, deputy minister of the Ministry of Public Security of the Communist Party of China and director of the National Immigration Administration, also announced on the same day that it is necessary to crack down on “illegal entry and exit” activities and carry out “Meerkat Hunting-2022” in a comprehensive and in-depth manner.

Regarding the authorities’ strict restrictions on exiting the country on the grounds of preventing and controlling the epidemic, Mr. Zhang, a doctor of law in Beijing, said it was equally unreasonable.

“What is non-essential not leaving the country? Citizens leave the country according to their own wishes, and it should be decided by the citizens themselves. I have no reason, I just want to go abroad to play, travel abroad, can’t I? Is there any reason for your government to restrict me from leaving the country? “

He believes that this is the same as the three major operators shutting down the international answering function of citizens’ mobile phones without authorization under the government’s order. It is a strong impulse to expand power inherited from the communist ideology. The real motive behind the authorities’ restrictions on entry and exit is also worth observing.

The authorities have tightened border controls against the backdrop of the mainland’s draconian zero-epidemic policy. In particular, the closure of the city in Shanghai has created a humanitarian disaster, which has caused many foreigners who have settled in Shanghai to evacuate, and the Chinese are also able to run away. People think that the mainland is a danger zone, and staying means facing endless lies, chaos, being violated, being sick, eating, and even dying.

Commentator Tian Yun wrote in The Epoch Times that, in fact, the CCP has been tightening exit control over the past few years. This time, the ropes are tightened even tighter, and there are even reports of passports being cut off. One reason for the CCP’s move is fears that citizens will take out a lot of foreign exchange when they leave the country. The real reason is that the CCP is determined to firmly control the Chinese people in the palm of the party, and the party has the final say. No one can speak or act freely without party approval. People were imprisoned in their homes, communities, provinces and cities and in the country, becoming “marionettes”, standard prisoners and slaves.

Responsible editor: Gao Jing#