Foreign journalists in China face unprecedented pressure

Foreign journalists in China face “unprecedented obstacles” to their work, with threats of legal action, internet campaigns and falling numbers due to the expulsion of colleagues, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) warned in its annual report.

Beijing seems to bepromoting a barrage of lawsuits” or threats of legal action against foreign journalists, the FCCC said.

“Risk forecasting is changing in an unusual way right nowDavid Rennie, the Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, stated in the report.

“In particular, news organizations face warnings that their reporters may expose them to legal sanctions and civil prosecution or, most ominously, national security investigations.”, he added.

This marks a changeworrying” of the previous tools to control the press, such as vetoing them from some events or creating problems with their visas or press cards.

The growing threat of legal action follows the 2020 arrests of Australian broadcaster Cheng Lei, who worked for the state network CGTN, and Haze Fan of Bloomberg News.

Chinese authorities have said they are being held on suspicion of endangering national security.

Foreign journalists and their organizations have drawn up emergency exit plans in the face of mounting risks, and “state-sponsored attacks, in particular internet campaigns” have made the work of those who remain difficult, the report noted.

He added that the feeling is created that the press is the enemy and, with it, “the coverage of China is suffering.”

The report is based on consultations with 127 of the 192 members of the FCCC.

He indicated that with the departure of journalists due to excessive intimidation or expulsions, the coverage in China is “increasingly an exercise in remote reporting”.

In 2020, China announced the expulsion of American journalists from three major newspapers, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

The report noted that 18 US media journalists were expelled in 2020.

Many correspondents continue to cover China from other countries, while the remaining US media journalists are struggling to renew their press cards.