A Taiwanese man was questioned for six hours at Shanghai Pudong International Airport due to having previously worked for Amnesty International.

The man arrived in Shanghai on Aug. 29 for a business trip. According to a Threads post by his father, border officials stopped him and took him to a private room. Three plainclothes officers then questioned him.

They reportedly asked about his former duties at Amnesty, including whether he had worked on human rights issues involving China, Hong Kong, Xinjiang or Tibet. They also asked about the organization’s funding and his contacts with politicians and human rights advocates.

The man eventually abandoned his attempt to enter China and returned to Taiwan that evening.

His father was suspicious of the Chinese authorities’ knowledge of his son’s former jobs. He suggested Beijing may collect information about workers and volunteers at international human rights groups and Taiwanese nongovernmental organizations.

Amnesty International Taiwan Secretary-General Chiu E-Ling (邱伊翎) said the man was not named in the social media post, so the organization could not confirm whether he was a former employee or an intern. However, she said Amnesty routinely advises employees and applicants to avoid traveling to China or Hong Kong.

Beijing defended the screening. Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhang Han (張晗) accused Amnesty of smearing China and said checks on certain former workers were “reasonable and lawful.”

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said the family had not formally reported the incident. However, authorities are urging high-risk travelers to reconsider visiting China, particularly before new Chinese entry and exit regulations take effect on Sept. 15.