Authorities in Chengdu, China have established a classified surveillance system targeting specific population groups, according to reports first circulated on the overseas social media platform X and subsequently verified by journalists through multiple local sources.
The system, executed at the neighborhood and police station level, categorizes residents into four alert tiers — red, orange, yellow, and blue — with red designating the highest level of monitoring. Six broad categories of people have been labeled “unreliable persons,” including Tibetans, Uyghurs, Christians, unemployed individuals, Han Chinese who have worked in Xinjiang or Tibet, and those with mental illness, criminal records, or a history of petitioning the government. Officials have also expanded the classification in recent years from “three-loss-one-deviation” to “five-loss-one-deviation” groups, reflecting a widening net.
Sources familiar with the situation noted that enforcement intensifies during politically sensitive periods such as the annual National People’s Congress session in March, when local governments enter a heightened stability-maintenance mode. During such periods, individuals on the watchlist may face home visits, restrictions on movement, or pressure channeled through landlords to vacate their residences.
The surveillance does not end when a person relocates. According to accounts gathered by journalists, individuals who move to other cities continue to be tracked for months, with authorities conducting follow-up checks at new addresses and monitoring travel records. Hotels in Chengdu are also required to report guests from Tibet and Xinjiang to the local police station — a practice said to have been in place for many years.
Members of unregistered Christian congregations, such as the Qiu Yu Covenant Reformed Church, reported that believers have long faced pressure to join state-sanctioned churches, with some detained or barred from gathering. Observers noted that similar surveillance practices are not unique to Chengdu but reflect a broader national trend of tightening control over designated population groups.
Source: Radio Free Asia, March 23, 2026
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shehui/2026/03/23/china-chengdu-surveillance-human-rights-activists-church/