Safety in China: what overland travellers should know
Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 15 September 2026.
Safety
- Areas closed to foreigners — Parts of China are still off limits to foreign visitors, and simply passing through one means risking a police stop, a fine and expulsion, sometimes arrest. Check with your travel agent or the China International Travel Service that the places on your route are not closed, and remember the government can restrict access to an area without notice.
- Tibet needs a permit — A Chinese visa does not let you into Tibet: you need a special permit, granted on restrictive terms to authorised agencies and only for group visits. Anyone who tries to enter on a visa alone risks arrest, foreigners may only stay in certain authorised hotels, and books or publications containing maps can be inspected and seized at the boundary.
- Border areas — Crossing into Afghanistan, Myanmar or Pakistan is advised against, and the Pakistani and Afghan border areas are lightly policed and particularly dangerous. The border zones with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are also to be avoided. In Yunnan, growing drug smuggling along the Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam borders makes the less-travelled areas there risky.
- Xinjiang — Xinjiang has seen social unrest and violent protest, and incidents in Urumqi and elsewhere in the region, as well as in Kunming, were classed as terrorism by the authorities, who tightened security in response. Tourist groups have been refused access to specific zones, and it is unwise to head into rural parts of the region on your own.
- Crime and scams — Petty crime is growing and foreigners are mostly hit by bag-snatching and passport theft. Do not accept invitations from strangers who offer to show you around, take you for a drink, a tea ceremony or a massage: people are led to dubious venues and then forced under threat to pay huge sums by card or cash machine, and it happens on busy shopping streets too.
- Rain, typhoons and floods — The rainy season runs June to November and summer rain causes serious flooding in the rural river basins, notably along the Yangtze and the Yellow River and in Guangxi. During the monsoon, June to September, strong typhoons hit the south-eastern coasts, including Fujian, eastern Guangdong and Zhejiang, with conditions changing fast in August and September.
Before you rely on this
This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 15 September 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for China before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.
Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 15 September 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.