Many foreign journalists were excluded from press conferences and barred from asking questions during China’s two sessions this year, the Foreign Correspondents’ Association in China said via Twitter on March 26. Some of the few foreign journalists invited to attend press conferences were asked in advance to submit questions or topics for government review and approval. The organization called on the Chinese government to again allow unscripted questions and follow-up questions at all government press conferences, especially during the two sessions.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Association in China issued a statement Friday, saying “the annual meeting of China’s ‘two sessions’ illustrates a worrying trend in the way foreign journalists are allowed to work in the country. During the legislative and political sessions of Beijing‘s ‘Two Sessions’ in early March, many international journalists were excluded from press conferences and barred from asking questions. Increasingly, some of the few foreign journalists invited to press conferences are being asked in advance to submit questions or topics for government review and approval.”
The statement said, “This is a clear step backwards from the early 2000s, when Chinese government agencies interacted more freely with foreign journalists. The Foreign Correspondents’ Association in China calls on the Chinese government to once again allow unscripted questions and follow-up questions at all government press conferences, especially at the only Time during the year when foreign journalists may have the opportunity to meet with senior Chinese officials during the ‘two sessions’.”
The statement said, “As foreign correspondents, we are committed to reporting on China fairly, accurately and without state interference or restrictions. Only by holding real press conferences and being able to ask real questions can the international press produce reports that are credible in the eyes of foreign readers and viewers. The Foreign Correspondents’ Association in China urges the Chinese authorities to be more transparent at this time of heightened international interest in China, especially in the run-up to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.”
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