Crime Crackdown on Expats in China
Government officials have clamped down on foreigners working on improper visas, and are conducting raids in office buildings and bars, mandating everyone to submit hair and urine samples. This is part of a crime crackdown with the Chinese authorities operating a zero tolerance policy towards expats.
Even if a substance such as marijuana, was legally consumed outside of China, anyone failing a drug test inside the country could face extreme trouble. Drug offences carry hefty penalties in China, including the death sentence for trafficking.
The recent crime crackdown in Xuzhou has shaken the expat community which consists mainly of English teachers and students studying subjects including Mandarin, medicine, and mechanical engineering.
19 People were detained in Jiangsu narcotics crime crackdown, 16 of these were foreigners including students with one foreign national in criminal detention, indicating imminent formal charge.
Local bars popular with foreigners were empty over the weekend, while social media groups fell silent.
With some of those who were arrested being teachers with the company Education First, angry parents poured out of a meeting with management at one EF Xuzhou branch, demanding tuition fees be refunded, and blaming the institute for hiring teachers of poor integrity.
Swiss-based EF, which runs a global chain of institutes including 300 branches in China, is the largest English education chain in Xuzhou, and has said it is cooperating with the local authorities.
While it remains to be seen how the Xuzhou arrests pan out, recent cases in China involving foreigners have been widely seen as politically motivated.
In January, a Canadian arrested in 2014 who had been given a 15-year sentence for alleged drug trafficking was put on a rushed one-day retrial and slapped with the death penalty.
The month before, China arbitrarily detained Canadians Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a business consultant, on suspicion of endangering national security.
This crackdown in smaller cities reflects the change in policy that the battle against corruption and crime will be extended from big cities like Chengdu to smaller destinations like Xuzhou. With these cities previously being free from the auspicies and watch of the government, they are no longer safe and there is no tolerance for drug offences. This is paired with the authorities wanting to catch foreigners at a time of rising tensions between China and Western nations, including US, UK and Canada.
“The ability and desire to catch foreign companies and foreigners operating illegally in China is higher now than it has ever been,” said Dan Harris, founder of Harris Bricken, a US-based law firm that specialises in China.
To make sure you are up to date on your visa check out how to renew your visa while living in Chengdu.
Also check out our guide on How to work legally in China
At this time of political tension you cannot be too careful as an Expat in China.
