The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province has entered a near-total security lockdown ahead of the APEC summit, set for November 18-19. As restrictions expand across the board, from subway searches to a no-fly zone over the city center, complaints are mounting among residents whose daily movements have been constrained.
According to the Shenzhen city government on the 25th, authorities tightened security rules starting on the 20th, adopting a policy of "all bags must be inspected, all passengers must be verified." The measures include body searches of passengers and X-ray screening of carry-on luggage, and ban not only explosives but also large perfume bottles, opened liquor bottles, lighters, and insecticides. Authorities did not disclose when the measures would end.
Officials described the moves as safety measures in response to a summer surge in ridership, but some interpret them as a "security rehearsal" aimed at the November summit. The APEC forestry ministers' meeting is also reportedly scheduled for late July.
On the first day of the measures, which coincided with a workday, heavy rain compounded severe congestion. At some stations, waiting lines extended outside the station buildings, and a stream of workers arrived late after failing to clear the checkpoints. The Shenzhen subway has more than 600 kilometers of track and ranks third in China by ridership, with 9.42 million passengers carried across 15 lines on the day the rules took effect.
On social media, reactions continued to express concern over lost time and the risk of being crushed in crowds rather than safety. Experts say that heightened security ahead of a large-scale international event is unavoidable, but that uniform application lowers public acceptance. They propose more flexible approaches, such as operating separate lanes for the elderly and students.
Aerial controls have also been sharply tightened. Shenzhen public security authorities designated the Futian district, a core area of the city center, as a no-fly zone until November 23. They banned the operation of all low-altitude aircraft, including drones, FPV drones, model aircraft, helicopters, paragliders, hot-air balloons, kites, and sky lanterns, and decided to hold violators criminally liable. The zone includes the area around the InterContinental Hotel and convention center, which are being mentioned as possible venues.
Some observers say the tightened controls are not unrelated to an accident last month. On the afternoon of the 26th of last month, a two-seat light sport aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest building, the 108-story CITIC Tower (528 meters), killing the pilot and injuring 13 people. The aircraft was found to have strayed from its planned route. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) raised the possibility that Chinese authorities have become more sensitive to safety in the skies over city centers following the accident.
Shenzhen is also overhauling its overall urban management on the occasion of the summit. It is restricting the operation of some 6 million electric bicycles in major event areas, and has designated public areas at train stations and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border crossing facilities as entirely non-smoking zones. Authorities also conducted crackdown-related education on "uncivilized behavior," such as unlicensed street vending and illegal dumping of trash.
As Shenzhen, long called a "symbol of reform and opening," pushes forward an image of an orderly international city, critics point out that excessive controls may heighten resident fatigue and leave foreigners with a rigid impression.
