Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 These Measures are formulated to standardize the administration of temporary official overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visits of the University, in accordance with the Notice of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council Forwarding the Guiding Opinions of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Foreign Affairs Office and Other Departments on Strengthening and Improving the Administration of Temporary Official Overseas Visits by Teaching and Research Personnel (Ting Zi〔2016〕No. 17), the Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Education on Further Strengthening the Administration of Temporary Official Overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Visits (Jiao Wai Ting〔2015〕No. 1) and other documents, and in light of the actual conditions of the University.
Chapter II Scope of Application
Article 2 These administrative provisions shall apply to on‑the‑job faculty and staff of the University (including its three affiliated hospitals) who travel abroad / to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan for official purposes such as exchange visits, scientific research, professional training, giving lectures and attending academic conferences.
Chapter III Approval Procedures
Article 3 Temporary official overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visits by leading cadres at or above the division‑director level of the University shall be examined and determined at the University President’s Administrative Meeting and the Standing Committee Meeting of the University Party Committee.
Article 4 For section‑level leading cadres and ordinary personnel, the principal person‑in‑charge of their respective unit (department) shall sign opinions, which shall then be submitted to the Organization Department, the Human Resources Department, the Finance Management Department, and the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office) for review. Final approval shall be granted by the university leader in charge of foreign‑related (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) affairs.
Article 5 Strict review shall be conducted on the content of temporary official overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visits. On the basis of clarifying visit missions and schedules and confirming funding sources, priority shall be given to reviewing whether the annual number of official visits exceeds quotas, whether the duration abroad complies with regulations, whether visit missions match funding sources, and whether another responsible person is designated to perform duties for units (departments) whose middle‑level and above leading cadres are away on visits.
Article 6 Provisions on invitation‑based official visits shall be strictly implemented. No invitations from overseas Chinese nationals or foreign diplomatic missions in China shall be accepted. It is strictly prohibited to contact or obtain invitation letters through intermediary agencies. Practices such as forming “outer‑group delegations”, splitting delegations and submitting separate applications for approval are forbidden. In principle, spouses and children shall not be approved to accompany the visiting personnel. Participation in overseas‑funded exchanges with complex backgrounds or sensitive themes shall not be approved.
Chapter IV Number of Visits, Delegation Size and Duration of Stay Abroad
Article 7 Except for the principal university leaders and the university leader in charge of foreign affairs, other university leaders and persons‑in‑charge of each unit (department) shall make no more than 2 official overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visits within one term of office, or no more than 1 visit within 2 years. Missions for national tasks, response to overseas emergencies or special assignments shall be exempted from such visit quotas.
Article 8 Visit missions organized uniformly by the University that are closely related to international cooperation and exchange, teaching‑research and talent recruitment, attendance at global or regional conferences, bilateral and multilateral mechanism activities, and visits under special circumstances shall be subject to separate application and approval.
Article 9 Official missions to land‑bordering neighbouring countries of China shall be exempted from visit quotas in accordance with relevant national provisions.
Article 10 Visits by staff members of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office) arising from work requirements shall be exempted from visit quotas.
Article 11 For official visits, delegation size, number of destination countries / regions and duration of stay abroad shall be strictly controlled. Delegations for official overseas visits shall follow the principle of small‑but‑essential, with no more than 6 members per delegation; delegations for visits to Hong Kong and Macao shall have no more than 8 members. Each visit shall cover no more than 3 countries / regions (including transit countries / regions, excluding cases where no airport exit is made, the same below). The maximum duration of stay abroad shall be 10 calendar days (including the days of departure from and arrival in China, the same below); visits to 2 countries / regions shall not exceed 8 days; visits to 1 country / region shall not exceed 5 days. For delegations to Latin‑American and African countries with inconvenient flight connections, visits to 3 countries shall not exceed 11 days; visits to 2 countries shall not exceed 9 days; visits to 1 country shall not exceed 6 days. The above‑specified delegation sizes and durations are upper limits and shall not be interpreted as mandatory full utilisation. Visiting personnel shall not arbitrarily add destination countries or regions, exit customs under the pretext of transiting in a third country / region, take detours for travel purposes, alter itineraries or extend stay abroad without authorisation.
Article 12 The number of academic official visits, delegation sizes and durations of stay abroad shall be examined and approved based on practical needs.
Article 13 Delegation sizes and durations of stay abroad for overseas training missions shall comply with relevant national provisions for training delegations.
Article 14 Delegation sizes and durations of stay for official missions to Taiwan shall comply with relevant provisions of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
Article 15 Where visiting personnel overstay abroad, all expenses for the current visit shall be non‑reimbursable; all approval applications for their overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visits in the current year shall be suspended immediately, and corresponding handling shall be conducted in accordance with relevant provisions.
Chapter V In‑Process Administration
Article 16 Each unit (department) shall scientifically formulate an annual plan for temporary official overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visits, and make overall and reasonable work arrangements. Annual plans shall be submitted to the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office) for filing by the end of September each year. Drawing on plans submitted by dispatching units and historical data, the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office) shall formulate the University’s annual visit plan for the following year and submit it to the University for review. In principle, missions not included in the University’s visit plan shall not be approved or dispatched. For genuinely ad‑hoc missions, a case‑by‑case application shall generally be submitted at least 3 months in advance, stating the grounds for necessity of participation.
Article 17 Prior to departure, each on‑campus unit (department) shall truthfully publish information on visiting delegations and personnel via the campus network, notice boards and other channels. The public notice period shall be no less than 5 working days. Published content shall include names, units and positions of all delegation members, destination countries / regions, mission objectives, schedules, round‑trip travel routes, invitation letters, profiles of inviting organisations, funding sources and budgets. Complaints raised by the public during the public notice process shall be verified earnestly by the relevant unit (department). Where problems are confirmed, effective measures shall be taken for serious investigation and handling, and the visit mission of the involved delegation members shall be cancelled. Where prescribed public notice requirements are not fulfilled, the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office) shall decline review and approval, and the Finance Management Department shall refuse expense reimbursement for the overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visit.
Article 18 During visits, delegations shall strictly execute missions as approved. Arbitrary alterations to itineraries and mission content are prohibited. Substantive official activities abroad shall account for more than two‑thirds of the overseas schedule. Thrift shall be practised; transportation and accommodation shall be arranged strictly in compliance with provisions, and extravagance and waste shall be avoided. Disguised official‑funded tourism and arrangement of entertainment activities unrelated to official business are strictly forbidden. Shifting or passing on visit expenses to enterprises or subordinate units is prohibited.
Article 19 A delegation head responsibility system shall be implemented for visiting delegations. Prior to departure, collective education on current affairs, policies, safety, foreign‑affairs discipline and confidentiality discipline shall be organised. While abroad, delegations shall voluntarily accept the leadership and supervision of Chinese diplomatic and consular missions stationed overseas. They shall strictly implement the CPC Central Committee’s foreign‑policy guidelines and country‑specific policies, observe foreign‑affairs discipline and abide by local laws and regulations.
Article 20 Upon return to China, each delegation shall compile a visit report covering basic mission facts, major outcomes and follow‑up work plans. Within one week after returning to campus, the delegation head shall submit the signed report to the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office). Delegations shall also submit a post‑return confidentiality compliance report. For units (departments) or individuals failing to submit reports within deadlines, reimbursement of relevant expenses and approval for their overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visit missions shall be suspended.
Chapter VI Funding Administration
Article 21 The pre‑review system for funding of temporary official overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visits shall be enforced, with concrete review undertaken by the University Finance Management Department. Expenses shall be reviewed strictly in accordance with expenditure standards and scopes for personnel on temporary overseas visits formulated by the Ministry of Finance. For temporary official‑visit missions assigned by higher‑level authorities, budget supplementation or adjustment applications may be submitted. Missions funded by special funds such as research grants shall comply with corresponding administrative provisions, task statements and contractual agreements governing such funds.
Article 22 For expense reimbursement after visits, applicants must provide the official‑visit mission approval document, travel documents, copies of relevant information (including visas, endorsements and entry‑exit records), and detailed expense receipts. All reimbursement vouchers shall specify expenditure descriptions, dates, quantities and amounts in Chinese, and bear the handler’s signature. The Finance Management Department shall examine reimbursement vouchers carefully and reimburse expenses strictly in line with approved delegation members, durations, itineraries, funding budgets and expenditure standards; expenditures unrelated to visit missions shall not be reimbursed.
Chapter VII Travel Document Administration
Article 23 It is strictly prohibited to perform official overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan missions with ordinary passports for private affairs or private permits for Hong Kong and Macao. It is also prohibited to travel to Taiwan for official business with Mainland Resident Travel Permit for Taiwan without official endorsements. In such cases, the Finance Management Department shall reject reimbursement of incurred expenses and impose corresponding sanctions.
Article 24 Foreign nationals, personnel travelling to the country where they hold permanent residency, and retired personnel continuing research projects, who need to travel abroad / to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan but cannot obtain official travel documents due to policy constraints, may use corresponding travel documents upon approval.
Article 25 Official passports (permits for Hong Kong and Macao) shall be submitted for unified safekeeping or cancellation by the Sichuan Provincial Foreign Affairs (Hong Kong and Macao Affairs) Office within 7 days after returning to China. Mainland Resident Travel Permit for Taiwan shall be handed over to the Organisation Department or the relevant unit (department) for unified safekeeping within 7 days upon re‑entry, depending on personnel categories. For units (departments) or individuals failing to surrender documents or complying with travel‑document administration rules, their application for temporary official overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visits shall be suspended. Personnel violating travel‑document administration provisions and refusing to surrender travel documents shall receive criticism education or admonitory talks; for serious cases, corresponding organisational sanctions or Party‑disciplinary and administrative sanctions shall be imposed.
Chapter VIII Supervision and Inspection
Article 26 Each unit (department) bears primary responsibility for administering temporary official overseas / Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan visits of its personnel. Principal Party‑administrative persons‑in‑charge of each unit (department) serve as the first persons responsible. Competent reviewing departments including organisation, human‑resources and foreign‑affairs departments shall perform their respective duties, strengthen administration, and rigorously conduct both review‑and‑approval and supervision‑and‑inspection. Violations including disguised official‑funded overseas tourism, failure to complete prescribed approval procedures, fraud, and failure to conduct visits in accordance with approved missions, itineraries and schedules shall be eliminated. Administration shall follow the principle of “whoever approves shall be held accountable”. Discipline‑inspection and supervision departments shall perform oversight duties earnestly. Where violations are detected, accountability shall be pursued against persons directly responsible, and retrospective accountability shall be imposed on relevant units (departments) and their responsible persons. Investigation efforts shall be intensified for letters‑and‑visits reporting violations of temporary official‑visit regulations. For cases featuring inadequate supervision, frequent violations and strong public complaints, accountability for primary responsibility and supervisory responsibility shall be pursued. For units (departments) that produce serious adverse impacts due to poor administration or policy abuse, the University’s discipline‑inspection and supervision department shall conduct interviews or pursue accountability against relevant responsible persons and involved individuals.
Chapter IX Supplementary Provisions
Article 27 These Measures shall come into force on the date of issuance. The Office of International Cooperation and Exchange (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office) shall be responsible for its interpretation.
