How Should Westerners avoid trouble when in China
Jan 3, 2019, 10:31 pm
#46
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,039
Advisory does not mean imminent danger, but it would be foolish to equate an advisory about a government taking concerted actions against individuals with advisories on, say, terrorism or petty theft. I have three trips to China planned by May, and I am not canceling. Things are definitely escalating, however, and in reality, China has always/never stopped detaining Westerners for any number of reasons. English "teachers" are often scrutinized for subversive activities. A young Canadian lady was detained last month and later released. Those of us who are who are willing to listen heard the message loud and clear, because the websites you visit or the things you say to strangers could ostensibly also flag you at the immigration counter. Be cautious and recognize that China exercises its authority differently than what we're accustomed to in the West, that's all.
Jan 4, 2019, 3:35 pm
#47
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
It would also be wise to avoid violating minor ordinances: don't litter, don't jaywalk, etc., and don't call attention to yourself as an American even if you obviously look like a foreigner. You might want to consider registering your travel with the USA consulate even if you usually don't bother.
Jan 4, 2019, 4:15 pm
#48
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,039
It would also be wise to avoid violating minor ordinances: don't litter, don't jaywalk, etc., and don't call attention to yourself as an American even if you obviously look like a foreigner. You might want to consider registering your travel with the USA consulate even if you usually don't bother.
Jan 4, 2019, 4:22 pm
#49
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
Of course, but registration is free and doesn't take long--you just need to find the right website and have basic information in front of you when you do it.
Jan 4, 2019, 5:00 pm
#50
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,039
Ah, I wasn't aware it was possible to register online. I suppose I could Google, but do you happen to know what tangible benefits registration provides?
Jan 4, 2019, 10:11 pm
#53
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,039
The natural disaster case makes perfect sense, but I can pretty much guarantee that if any of us winds up in a Chinese jail, our consulates won't be the first to break the news.
Jan 7, 2019, 6:41 am
#54
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: SHA，CPH
Programs: SAS EuroBonus Gold, Qatar Privilege Club Gold
Posts: 235
Jan 7, 2019, 6:49 am
#55
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: SHA，CPH
Programs: SAS EuroBonus Gold, Qatar Privilege Club Gold
Posts: 235
Just behave in all other country. Shanghai is just like NYC or Paris or Tokyo. Packed with foreigns, so don't worry. In Beijing you will be fine since it is the first city opened to foreigns from 1949, where RPC started.
Jan 7, 2019, 9:28 am
#56
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: CX MPC DM
Posts: 416
I would like to broaden this warning to include WeChat. Many people wrongly assume that their WeChat messages/activities are private; of course Tencent doesn't scrutinize every account, but they do have triggers set up for a large number of words and image subjects....and, it's not especially difficult to connect you to your WeChat persona. As the current administrator of the FT people on WeChat group, I am particularly sensitive whenever the conservation drifts into political topics because I can be held personally accountable.
Jan 7, 2019, 9:38 am
#57
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: China and Canada
Posts: 1,886
I work with a team here in the USA and in China and we all use WeChat as our means of group communication which I think is a big mistake. I've been trying to get the whole team to switch off WeChat to Slack or some other alternative for 2 years now. But since the main business sponsors are only using WeChat, I can't get any momentum to get the group to change. Even before this dust-up over the travel advisory, we've all known that our messages on WeChat are not group private and we are conducting international business with it. I'm hoping this advisory provides enough incentive to change.
Jan 7, 2019, 4:25 pm
#58
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,039
I actually prefer WeChat groups to email for most work stuff (people tend to be much faster to reply to WeChat messages, and I like naming groups for each project; very easy to search). It's not like we're discussing anything super secret or politically sensitive.
Jan 8, 2019, 8:09 am
#59
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Trenton NJ
Programs: UA Gold MM, Honors Diamond, Marriott Gold, Hertz President’s Circle
Posts: 3,668
I worked for a German company while I was in China and it amazed me that the company, who restricted access to a lot of information, allowed my colleagues to communicate the volume and type of information that they did in WeChat. Especially considering that the company continually had IP problems in China.
Jan 9, 2019, 5:43 am
#60
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,315
There are now through-trains to Pudong Airport so you don't always have to change trains on Line 2.