A batch of new Chinese laws stretches "national security" into everyday travel, money transfers, and online speech, which is bad news for Taiwanese people and foreigners going to China.

• New rules on borders, national defense mobilization, and police checks of online activity take effect between mid-September and October.
• The wording of "national security" and "national interest" is so vague it works as a blank check for officials to decide what counts as a violation.
• Enforcement power is being pushed down to local level: border counties can act on their own, and county police can seize and search phones and laptops.
• The laws apply to non-citizens too, giving China legal cover to go after anyone it says harms its interests.
• The timing lines up with Communist Party meetings this year and next, where Xi Jinping is expected to seek a fourth term, so the priority is a quiet, tightly controlled society.

Outlook: Expect more self-censorship and fewer people and less money moving between Taiwan and China as the rules kick in this autumn.