Mathias Bölinger, a German correspondent in China, told Deutsche Welle, “The situation has been getting worse and worse over the years, and it has worsened dramatically in the past year. It has become more and more difficult to find people to interview, appointments are often not conducted, and people are more and more careful not to talk about political topics. Interviewees are often warned not to give interviews to foreign journalists. Restrictions on other levels are also increasing. Previously, foreign journalists were only followed by security personnel in Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia, but now foreign journalists are also followed in major cities, such as Hangzhou. In addition, anti-Epidemic regulations, such as quarantine regulations, are also being freely exploited, especially in Xinjiang.”
Steffen Wurzel, the German Broadcasting Union’s correspondent in Shanghai, also pointed out to Deutsche Welle that the working conditions for foreign journalists in China have deteriorated dramatically in the last year. He said, “I think the biggest problem is that almost all topics in this epidemic crisis have been highly politicized by the Communist Party leadership. And whenever it comes to political topics, it’s almost impossible to find interviewees in mainland China, whether it’s the epidemic, the impact of the epidemic, or the Olympics, economic plans, etc. All topics are politicized, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to even do cultural reporting. Many doors were already closed, and now even more doors are closed. Subjects are often told directly or indirectly that they can’t, can’t or shouldn’t be interviewed by foreign media.”
Steffen Wurzel has also had the experience of being followed. In a survey conducted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Association in China, he recounted, “I was on vacation in Inner Mongolia last May. In Manzhouli and Hailar, we were followed by several police officers. We were also kicked out of our hotel. When we were not in our hotel room, our luggage was opened and most likely searched. I took pictures of the stalkers and they then forced me to delete the pictures.”
Another big problem, Steffen Wurzel pointed out to Deutsche Welle, is the travel ban. He said foreign journalists are currently equivalent to not being able to leave mainland China because it is difficult to re-enter the country once they have left. “For journalists whose families are in Europe or elsewhere, this is of course a big problem.”
In its latest report, the Foreign Correspondents’ Association in China noted that for the third year in a row, no foreign journalist has felt that working conditions have improved. And last year, the authorities even banned journalists from sensitive areas and threatened them with forced quarantine, citing public health concerns. In addition, the authorities exerted pressure through visa restrictions. For example, at least 13 journalists have been issued press cards valid for less than six months, while foreign correspondents in China are normally granted visas valid for one year.
As tensions between the U.S. and China increased, the Communist Party expelled 18 journalists from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post from China in the first half of last year.
Last September, two Australian journalists in China were also forced to leave the country. After being questioned by Communist Party state security personnel, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) correspondent Bill Birtles in Beijing and Australian Financial Review (AFR) correspondent Michael Smith in Shanghai spent several days under protection at the Australian Embassy and Consulate and left mainland China. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Bottus had been barred from leaving China for a Time. According to the Australian Financial Review, Chinese Communist Party investigators tried to question Smith about Cheng Lei, an Australian-Chinese anchor working for China Global Television Network (CGTN). Cheng Lei was detained by Communist authorities in August 2020 and formally arrested by Communist judicial authorities on Feb. 5 this year on suspicion of illegally providing state secrets to foreign countries.
Last December, Haze Fan, a mainland Chinese citizen working for Bloomberg, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in activities that endanger state security. Fan began working for Bloomberg in 2017 and previously worked for CNBC, CBS, Al Jazeera and Reuters. According to official Communist Party rules, mainland Chinese citizens can only work as assistants in foreign news agencies in China and are not allowed to conduct independent news reporting. In a statement, the Chinese Communist Party said, “The mainland Chinese citizen surnamed Fan was detained by the Beijing State Security Bureau on suspicion of engaging in criminal activities that endanger state security. “The Foreign Correspondents’ Association in China issued a statement at the time expressing solidarity with Fan Ruoy, saying it was concerned about his arrest and was seeking to learn the truth about the incident from the Chinese side.
In its latest report, the Foreign Correspondents’ Association in China quoted Steven Lee Myers, the Beijing bureau chief of The New York Times, who was deported last March, as writing, “Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s talk of opening up to the world and showing everyone that it is a vibrant society, they clearly restrict any reporting that does not fit their vision. All of this suggests that things are not going to get any better.”
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