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Orderly work: a press conference in Beijing
Photo: picture alliance / dpa / MAXPPP
According to a survey, China is increasingly taking action against the work of foreign journalists.
In an annual survey, the results of which were presented by the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCCC) in Beijing, not a single China correspondent indicated that his working conditions had improved for the third year in a row.
On the contrary, the Chinese authorities have "dramatically increased" their efforts to thwart the work of foreign reporters.
All available means were used to intimidate and harass journalists.
Travel restrictions in connection with the corona pandemic were also used as an excuse to further restrict the work of journalists or to deny them entry altogether.
Authorities cited public health concerns to deny reporters access to sensitive areas and threatened them with forced quarantine, it said.
Visa restrictions have also been used to put pressure on reporting.
Journalists from countries with strained relations with China in particular felt the pressure of the authorities.
In the largest wave of expulsions since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, at least 18 journalists from three US media outlets would have had to leave the country in the first half of 2020.
In addition, two Australian correspondents left after being targeted by the Chinese security authorities.
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the allegations in the report were “unfounded”: “We always welcome media and journalists from all countries to report in China in accordance with the law.
What we reject is ideological bias against China and fake news in the name of freedom of the press. "
The FCCC was "extremely disappointed with this rapid decline in media freedom in China."
With a view to the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, the association called on the Chinese government to allow foreign journalists to do their work without restrictions.
The information is based on interviews with office managers, a survey among female correspondents and around 150 responses.
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sak / dpa