The Chinese government has started taking the fingerprints of international visitors to the country.

The programme was launched this week by the country’s Ministry of Public Security, with fingerprinting technology being gradually introduced at all international points-of-entry.

The initiative was launched at Shenzhen’s Bao’an International Airport on Friday 10 February 2017.

A statement from the Ministry of Public Security said that all foreign passport-holders between the ages of 14 to 70 will be fingerprinted upon arrival in China. It did not reveal if any other biometric data would be collected.

Several countries already collect fingerprints from international visitors, including the US, Japan and Malaysia.