Foreign press correspondents in China denounce the rise of controls and restrictions in 2022

Foreign journalists in China confronted in 2022 more controls and restrictions when hedging due to the iron policy of ‘covid zero’, in force until the end of last year, according to the annual report of the Foreign Press Correspondents Club of China (FCCC).

“It has been another difficult and exhausting year. ‘Zero covid’ checks have demolished media coverage already with low morale and reduced staff due to the expulsion of journalists and the delays in receiving new visas“, according to the report, published this Wednesday.

The club adds that correspondents have traveled less in 2022: “Last year, We haven’t had the opportunity to cover China in depth due to covid restrictions.”

The journalists also point out that although covid controls have been lifted – which included quarantines, mobility limitations or the obligation to carry out daily PCR tests – other restrictions remain in force.

Among them, the “police obstruction” at the time of the declaration or cancellation of interviews at the last minute under pressure from the authorities.

The club also denounces “harassment” to foreign journalists during the Winter Olympicswhich took place in February 2022, and during the 20th Congress of the Communist Party (CCP) in October.

Regarding the latter, the club ensures that many reputable media ultimately did not have access at all the events they wanted to cover.

The FCCC also denounces “restrictions, obstructions and intimidation” during protests late last year against the zero covid policy.

For example, at the end of November, a UK network reporter BBC he was arrested in Shanghai (east) after being “beaten and kicked” by police officers while filming the wave of protests against anti-covid policies.

Another informant alleges that police temporarily detained a Chinese foreign media employee for being “allegedly involved” in groups on the social network Telegram in which the protests were discussed.

So the club too Alert to the increase in surveillance technologies as well as pressure and threats against those who speak to foreign media: “The list of people explicitly prohibited from speaking to the foreign press is simply too long to remember. This ranges from employees of public companies to doctors, workers and academics, ”denounces a correspondent of the report.

On the other hand, many media are still waiting for the granting of press accreditations, to which are added the geopolitical tensions which, in some cases, can alter the visa processing process, according to the FCCC.

“In 2023, the prospects for resolution of the ongoing proceedings are quite limited. For example, negotiations between the United States and China to grant new visas to journalists working for American media have stalled. Uncertainty complicates media’s ability to report on a complex country already difficult to cover, ”says the club.

“China remains one of the most important stories of our time, yet since the start of the pandemic press freedom has declined at a very rapid rate,” the report concludes.

(With information from EFE)

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