Written by by Meredith Chen at scmp.com
The foreign ministry has confirmed that Jochen Sengpiehl, VW’s chief marketing officer and head of product strategy for China, had tested positive for cocaine and been detained for 10 days before his expulsion.
Media reports have said he also tested positive for cannabis, which is legal in Thailand although cocaine is not.
The case serves as a reminder of Beijing’s “zero-tolerance” approach to drugs, and the risk that foreigners can be detained for drug use outside the country. Here is how the law operates.
Can travellers be tested when entering the country?
Yes. Random drugs tests may be carried out on flights from places where cannabis and other drugs have been decriminalised, with students and foreigners likely to be targeted.
In these cases a sample of urine or hair is usually taken. Traces of drugs only remain in the urine for a short period, around three days, but can stay in the hair for months.
Warnings posted by Chinese embassies in countries that have decriminalised cannabis – including Thailand, Canada and the Netherlands – say that someone who tests positive on arrival will be treated “the same as if they used drugs domestically”.
China has been targeting travellers arriving from Thailand since cannabis was decriminalised in the country in 2022, a law the country’s government is now considering reversing.