Foreign Passports, False Security: China’s Crackdown Reaches Beyond Its Borders

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — As Beijing’s anti-corruption crusade intensifies under President Xi Jinping, China’s wealthy elite are experiencing a profound and troubling realization: a foreign passport does not guarantee protection. 

The dramatic abduction of Chinese Canadian billionaire Xiao Jianhua, despite holding Canadian citizenship and a diplomatic passport from Antigua and Barbuda, shows that when China wants to assert its authority, no document, no matter how official, is a haven.

Chinese agents took Mr. Xiao, a high-profile financier and political insider, from the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong in 2017. Although Hong Kong operated under the “one country, two systems” model, Xiao was extrajudicially removed and transported to mainland China. His foreign citizenship and diplomatic status failed to shield him from Beijing’s reach.

“Even if you’ve changed your passport, if you were ever Chinese, they consider you still Chinese,” said Kenneth Leung, a former member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. “And if you are perceived to have violated laws or threaten national interests, the Chinese government will act regardless of your other nationalities.”

China’s Elite and the Rise of “Escape Nationalities”

Xiao Jianhua is not alone. Over the last decade, tens of thousands of affluent Chinese citizens have quietly acquired foreign citizenship, aiming to secure personal safety, diversify assets, and create exit options should political winds shift unfavourably.

These individuals seek what many experts call “escape nationalities” — alternative legal identities in jurisdictions that offer more political and economic stability.

• In 2023 alone, more than 15,000 Chinese nationals applied for second citizenship via Caribbean citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programs.
• In the U.S. EB-5 program, Chinese applicants have historically represented over 80% of annual approvals.
• In Europe, countries like Portugal, Malta, and Cyprus have attracted thousands of wealthy Chinese applicants seeking Golden Visas or EU passports through real estate investment or donation schemes.

“It’s about creating an emergency exit. When things go bad, you don’t want to be the one holding only a Chinese ID card,” said Denny Ko, an immigration lawyer based in Hong Kong.

However, these second passports are not guaranteed immunity.

China’s Legal Stance: One Citizenship, Selective Enforcement

China’s Nationality Law (1980) prohibits dual nationality. Any Chinese citizen who voluntarily acquired foreign citizenship is considered to have automatically relinquished their Chinese nationality. Yet, in practice, many wealthy Chinese citizens do not report their new citizenship to Chinese authorities to maintain access to business privileges in the mainland.

At the same time, Chinese officials have selectively treated foreign citizens born in China as Chinese nationals when convenient, effectively nullifying foreign protections in cases of legal, political, or diplomatic sensitivity.

“It’s a one-way interpretation,” said Donald Clarke, professor of Chinese law at George Washington University. “China decides whether you are under its jurisdiction, not vice versa.”

This inconsistency has caused alarm in Western governments and among rights advocates, particularly in light of Beijing’s growing use of extraterritorial enforcement, secret detentions, and consular denial tactics.

Diplomatic Status Ignored: The Xiao Jianhua Case

Xiao’s diplomatic passport from Antigua and Barbuda — granted when he was named ambassador-at-large in 2015 — should have theoretically offered him diplomatic immunity under international law. Canada also confirmed his citizenship and expressed concern at his disappearance.

Nevertheless, Chinese authorities abducted Xiao from Hong Kong without legal extradition proceedings. He later appeared in mainland China under unclear circumstances, reportedly cooperating with investigators, but has remained out of public view for years.

A statement published in the Ming Pao newspaper at the time, believed to be written under duress, read:

“The Canadian consulate and Hong Kong law protect me. I enjoy the rights of diplomatic protection.”

In reality, none of these protections were honoured.

Other High-Profile Examples of Passport Powerlessness

The Xiao incident is part of a broader trend. In recent years, China has repeatedly disregarded foreign citizenship when detaining or prosecuting individuals it sees as Chinese:

• Lee Bo, a British citizen, was abducted from Hong Kong in 2015 by mainland agents.
• Gui Minhai, a Swedish national and bookseller, was seized in Thailand and remains in custody in an undisclosed location.
• Several Canadian citizens — including Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — were detained on espionage charges, widely seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

In each case, China ignored the individual’s foreign nationality or insisted they were “first and foremost a Chinese citizen.”

Why Second Passports Remain Popular Among China’s Elite

Despite these risks, the demand for second passports continues to grow. The motivations are often not criminal — in fact, most applicants are ordinary professionals, entrepreneurs, or investors seeking to:

• Avoid sudden policy shifts
• Gain visa-free travel access
• Protect family assets
• Access international education and healthcare systems
• Diversify legal identity and residence options

“You don’t have to be guilty of anything,” says Ko. “Connecting to someone under investigation in China can pull you into the vortex.”

Citizenship-by-investment remains legal in over 30 countries, with prices starting as low as $100,000 in Dominica to over $900,000 in Malta. While these documents offer travel flexibility and financial freedom, they cannot stop authoritarian states from acting beyond their borders.

Amicus International: Strategic Identity Protection, Not Just Paperwork

Amicus International Consulting, headquartered in Geneva, is one of the few global firms offering structured, compliant, and strategic identity solutions for individuals at political or legal risk, far beyond the one-size-fits-all passport mills.

“Buying a second passport is not a shield,” said a senior advisor at Amicus. “It’s a tool — and without a full strategy behind it, it can be as useless as paper when it matters most.”

Amicus Offers:

• Ancestry-Based Citizenship Acquisition
  Lawful and defensible nationality claims through family lineage in countries like Italy, Ireland, Poland, and Argentina.
• Relocation to Extradition-Free and Neutral Jurisdictions
  Structured to avoid bilateral treaty vulnerabilities and geopolitical entanglements.
• Identity Change and Privacy Structuring
  This is for high-risk individuals needing a name change, record sealing, or discreet movement.
• Asset Protection and Global Compliance
  Secure relocation of digital and physical assets through legal means while remaining FATCA, CRS, and OECD compliant.

Case Study: Quiet Relocation of a High-Risk Executive

In 2022, a mid-level Chinese investor with indirect links to a former Communist Party official sought Amicus’ help after rumours surfaced of an impending investigation. Amicus conducted full legal due diligence and initiated a relocation plan that included:

• Withdrawal from high-risk joint ventures
• Legal residency in a Caribbean country without property purchase
• School relocation for the children to a neutral EU nation
• Legal identity restructuring in cooperation with local authorities

Today, the family resides securely outside China, with compliant financial infrastructure and unobtrusive travel access through an ancestry-based citizenship program, never triggering alarms with high-profile CBI passports.

Final Word: Planning Matters More Than the Passport

Xiao Jianhua’s case and others like it underscore a global truth: a passport alone doesn’t protect you from political risk. 

Only a comprehensive strategy — combining legal structure, identity planning, privacy shielding, and jurisdictional awareness — can ensure your freedom and safety in a multipolar world where states ignore borders when it suits them.

Amicus International Consulting helps clients worldwide, including China, navigate this reality lawfully and strategically, prioritizing security, discretion, and ethical compliance.

📞 Contact Information
Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402
Email: info@amicusint.ca
Website: www.amicusint.ca

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