中国护照〝免签少，限制多〞，成为中国民众出国的绊脚石。网上流传〝中国护照是全世界最垃圾的护照〞。有学者认为，中国护照处境尴尬，是在于中共为维护政权的稳定和安全，以政治审查等手段严格限制中国和外国公民出入境。
大陆的微博上，疯传这样一段话：〝中国护照被视为全世界最垃圾的护照之一，免签入境的国家仅仅18个，有14个在非洲，连去港澳也要签证……香港免签国家135个，台湾免签国家124个。大国地位，可怜巴巴！〞
大陆网站发布的关于〝中国护照的调查〞结果显示，有近80%的网友，对于中国护照的免签抱以无奈的态度。网友们认为，本国不尊重自己的公民，导致也不被他国信任。
在2010年亨氏国际旅行自由度指数中，中国排名88，仅在巴基斯坦、伊朗、黎巴嫩和阿富汗四国之前。
中国目前与其他国家签订的〝互免签证〞协议只针对外交和公务。真正与中国实现了所有护照〝互免签证〞的只有欧洲的圣马利诺。但是这个以旅游业闻名于世的小国，只有一个允许小飞机起降的机场，外国游客往往需要先飞到意大利，再进入这个国家。所以，对于持普通护照的中国民众来说，这个〝互免〞名单上唯一适用的国家，并没有实际意义。
原公安大学法律系讲师赵远明认为，中共的意识形态和世界上绝大多数的民主国家不同，因此它一直对中国民众出国实施严格控制。
2002年之前，中国公民申领护照出国，手续繁琐。虽然2002年后开始简化护照申请手续，但目前仍需要预先政治审查。
赵远明：〝现在中国人即使持有中国护照都受到很大限制，更不用说你在申请中国护照的过程当中你会受到很多的管理和刁难。这些主要是为了它（中共）的统治服务的。〞
赵远明认为，中共不止限制中国的公民去世界各地，而且也限制其他国家的公民到中国来。在这种情况下，其他国家得不到互惠的条件，基于〝对等原则〞，这些国家通常也不会对中国开放免签政策。
2003年，中共首次单方面给予日本、汶莱、新加坡三国免签证待遇。加上在此之前与圣马利诺签订的普通护照相互免签政策，截至今天，中共仅仅开放了这四个国家的普通护照免签。
赵远明：〝中共的统治它不光惧怕自己国内的老百姓，它也惧怕全世界其他民主国家的人士。那么它在管理这种签证的行政手段上，它就跟其他国家不同。其他国家的出发点是方便自己的国民出入国境，方便在全世界旅游。但是中国（共）呢不是，中共它是为了限制。〞
根据美国〝达美航空公司〞提供的国际航空运输协会中签证与护照的信息，有43个国家对中国实行了免签或落地签的政策。但中国边检只针对其中不到15个放行。这表示，中国民众申请出境的目标国，如果不在中共出入境管理局的名单上，即使目标国对中国实施了免签或落地签，中国公民也无法离境。
新唐人记者周玉林、李明飞、萧宇采访报导。
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Communist Regime Controls Port of Entry Tightly, Chinese Passport Suffers from Awkward Situation.
China's passport, with few visa exemptions and many restrictions, has become an obstacle for Chinese citizens going abroad. As widely stated on the Internet, Chinese passport is the world's worst passport. Some scholars believe this awkward Chinese passport situation is due to CCP regime's tight restriction on the port of entry to its own citizens and also foreigners, by means of political censorship and so on, in the name of stability and security of political power.
In mainland microblogs, it is widely spread that the Chinese passport is considered one of the world's worst passports, with visa exemptions in only 18 countries, 14 of which are in Africa. A visa is also required even to Hong Kong and Macao. A Hong Kong passport enjoys visa exemptions in 135 countries, Taiwan passport to 124 countries. What a pitiful so-called ‘great power.’"
A survey on the Chinese passport was published on the internet.
It indicated that nearly 80% of internet users shared the feeling of helplessness for the very few visa exempt status of Chinese passport. They believe that the lack of respect for its own citizens has resulted in not being trusted by other countries.
In Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index-Global Ranking 2010, China ranked 88, ahead of only four countries, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon and Afghanistan.
China's visa waiver reciprocity agreement is only valid for diplomatic and official visits to other countries. The only full visa exemption other than China is San Marino in Europe. This small country is famous for tourism, but owns an airport for small planes only. Foreigners would generally fly to Italy before entering this country. Therefore, to the ordinary Chinese, this only "mutual exemption" country serves no practical meaning.
Former lecturer at the Law School of University of Public Security, Zhao Yuanming, believes the strict control of Chinese travel is due to the fact that CCP's ideology is different from the majority of democratic countries in the world.
Prior to 2002, the application for a Chinese passport was very tedious.
Although the application procedure was simplified in 2002, political review is still required.
Zhao Yuanming: "The Chinese people, even with a Chinese passport in hand, still suffer much restriction, not to mention the many regulations and hardship in the
process of application. These mainly serve the CCP to rule. "
Upon learning that the Governor of Calif. was coming to visit, Zhao Yuanming believes the CCP not only restricts its citizens going abroad, but also restrict foreigners going to China. Under such conditions where other countries receive no reciprocity, these countries usually won't have visa-free policy to China.
In 2003, the CPC for the first time unilaterally offered visa-free treaty to Japan, Brunei, and Singapore. In addition to the mutual full visa-free policy to San Marino, as of today, the Chinese Communists opened all visa free policy to four countries only.
Zhao Yuanming: "Communist regime fears not only their own domestic people, but also people in other democratic countries around the world. Therefore it has a different visa management style from other countries. Other countries mean to facilitate to enter and exit the country to their citizens, and to facilitate their travel to the world. The Communist regime doesn't. It is to facilitate the control."
According to the information provided by Delta Airlines, the visa and passport information provided by the International Air Transport Association indicated that there are 43 countries implementing visa-free or visa upon arrival policy to China. However, China only provided such policy to less than 15 of them.
This means that if the landing country the Chinese people apply for does not belong to those 15 countries, even if the landing country provided a visa-free or visa upon arrival policy, the Chinese people are not allowed to leave China.
NTD Reporters Zhou Yulin, Li Mingfei and Xiao Yu
