Pandemic or political – the restrictions on foreign journalists in the People’s Republic of China are enormous. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) shows this in its latest report on the working conditions of journalists. The correspondents of foreign media companies are reporting on another tough and exhausting year: The Chinese leadership’s corona policy has led to restrictions on their work. In addition, the government’s restrictive visa policy has weakened the foreign offices in China, some of which are already understaffed.
Although the corona-related restrictions were lifted at the end of 2022, correspondents continue to be subject to a variety of government control measures. All respondents therefore came to the conclusion that international standards for freedom of the press and reporting are not met in the People’s Republic. More than half of the journalists surveyed stated that they had been hindered in their work by the police or other authorities at least once. Although this corresponds to a decrease of ten percent compared to the previous year, the FCCC attributes this figure, which ostensibly sounds like a positive development, primarily to the fact that the Corona regulations have brought the work of foreign journalists to a standstill in some cases.
Pressure is also mainly exerted on local people who speak to the press
More than a third of the survey participants reported that their sources had been threatened, detained or questioned by the authorities. In the previous year, the proportion was even lower, at a quarter. 45 percent of those surveyed also stated that their Chinese colleagues had been pressured, threatened or intimidated at least once. An increase of almost ten percent compared to the previous year.
Although international media houses had hoped to be able to replenish their sometimes understaffed overseas offices in China after the country reopened its borders, respondents said there are still significant problems with the approval of new journalist visas. Many correspondents had to endure long waits, and a majority of those who received visas were advised by the Chinese authorities that the long waits were linked to geopolitical tensions. European and Japanese correspondents were less affected by the visa restrictions than their US counterparts.
Harassment of foreign journalists increased significantly during last year’s two major events, correspondents observed: both during the Winter Olympics in February and during the historic Communist Party Congress in October, correspondents’ work was subject to even greater restrictions than usual. For example, more than a third of respondents were denied access to any of the congress events, even though they had registered for them.
The FCCC has 166 foreign correspondents from over 30 countries. He wants to promote exchanges between correspondents and defend freedom of the press and free exchange of information. The FCCC publishes its annual report on freedom of the press in the People’s Republic of China. The basis for the report is the survey of our own members. About two thirds of the members took part in the current survey in December 2022 and January 2023.