OREANDA-NEWS. The Russian Consulate General in Guangzhou asked the Chinese authorities to explain the need to view phones and check correspondence in messengers when crossing the border, told reporters of Russian news in the diplomatic office. 

It became known earlier that upon entering or transit through some Chinese international airports, the migration authorities will selectively conduct interviews with travelers, check the contents of their phones, as well as correspondence in instant messengers. “From the point of view of the law, any country, being a sovereign state, has the right to put any barriers when checking entry into its territory”, a representative of the consulate general told the Russian media.

However, Russian diplomats sent a note to the competent authorities to make sure that "this is not arbitrariness on the part of the Chinese employees". Remember the times when progressive humanity giggled over the "great Chinese firewall" followed by some of its own sovereign Chinese Internet - with its own search engine, its own social networks, its own content controllers, and so on? As it is now becoming obvious, China has simply outstripped this most progressive humanity by years, and now it has rushed to catch up. Facebook and Google executives are dragged in for interrogations at the US Congress, forcing them to prove that they are "on the side of the free world". They swear that yes.

According to the agency interlocutor, there have already been cases of checking phones at the entrance to China, therefore, the consulate general decided to inform people in advance that this could happen. Earlier, the diplomatic establishment said that if Chinese experts find in the phone compromising, in their opinion, information, they can prohibit entry into the country. The person will be placed in a special room, consular officers or representatives of the airline will not be allowed to visit him. The nearest flight will send him to the country from which he arrived.