People throng the streets and nightmarkets of border city Ruili, Southwest China's Yunnan Province on January 10, 2023 as business and daily life resumes after China downgraded its COVID-19 management on January 8. Photos: Hu Yuwei/GT

China launched a new campaign to crack down on illegal border-crossings at the beginning of 2023 and vowed to spare no effort to maintain national political security and border stability, strengthen security prevention and control at ports, and strictly guard against infiltration and sabotage activities by hostile forces.

According to the official WeChat account of the National Immigration Administration (NIA), the administration stressed at the national immigration management conference held on Saturday that it will firmly crack down on crimes that are harmful to national border management, address problems such as foreign visitors who commit crimes, overstay their visas or gain illegal employment. The bureau also vowed to strive to maintain normal entry and exit management procedures. 

The administration will improve immigration management policies, laws and regulations, comprehensively promote the construction of a security control system and major information technology projects, and accelerate the construction of a modern immigration management system, it said during the meeting.

According to the latest data of the NIA released on January 17, a total of 32,300 criminal cases of interfering with national border management were investigated and dealt with in 2022, 117,800 criminal suspects were arrested and processed, 1,544 criminal gangs were disrupted, 67,200 criminal compulsory measures were taken, and 50,600 people were dealt through administrative processes. 

The data also showed that in 2022, the bureau dealt with 67,000 foreigners who illegally entered, resided or worked in China in accordance with the law, issuing warnings, fines, administrative detention or departure orders within a specified time limit, and repatriated 43,000 of them. 

Additionally, 8.85 tons of drugs and 712.52 tons of precursor chemicals were seized in 2022, with 3,278 firearms of various types confiscated, with the total value of confiscated and seized smuggled goods equal to 220 million yuan ($42 million).

Global Times