SHANGHAI: Fu Tianhui, 74, is heading for the highest paved border crossing on Earth.The Singaporean retiree is travelling along the Karakoram Highway towards the Khunjerab Pass, where China meets Pakistan at 4,693m. It is his third trip to China this year.New rules governing China’s borders take effect on Sep 15, but Fu sees little reason for ordinary tourists to be concerned."No problem at all," he said.
Nor has anyone else on the tour - whose members are all in their 70s - asked about them, said Li Liang Yi, president of Singapore-based China Express Travel, which organised the trip."I don't think the regulations are targeting tourists at all," Li told CNA.
Tour leader Li Liang Yi looks out over Baisha Lake, at an altitude of 3,333m on the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang, in September 2026. His Singapore tour group travelled the route along the G314 national highway towards the Pakistan border. (Photo: Li Liang Yi)
Issued by the State Council in July, the new regulations govern the entry and exit of people across China’s borders.Most concern Chinese citizens leaving the country, with measures aimed at managing overseas safety risks and unlawful cross-border activity.The rules have nevertheless prompted concern and confusion online, with claims that phones would be searched, visa-free entry was ending and that ordinary people would be barred from leaving - prompting Chinese media to publish explainers challenging such interpretations.But tour operators, travellers and a Chinese immigration lawyer all told CNA that most travellers will see little practical impact.The rules instead point to a more selective approach to border control - keeping ordinary travel open while giving authorities greater scope to intervene in movements deemed sensitive, experts said.
