China ‘harassed’ foreign journalists in 2022, report on surveillance shows

China Foreign Journalists: The restrictions on journalists were concomitant with China's Covid curbs which included lengthy quarantines and mass testing- a policy which was dismantled by Beijing in December.

Foreign journalists in China faced strict Covid controls, harassment and constant surveillance in 2022, a report said. Nearly half of foreign journalists in China were ordered to leave a place or denied access on health and safety grounds in 2022 even though they did not present any "health risk by China's own standards", the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) said in its annual report.

China Foreign Journalists: A China's flag flutters. (File image)

Fifty percent journalists also said that they faced problems with smartphone "health codes" in China which stopped them from travelling at some point last year. Almost 40 percent said at least one of their sources had been harassed, detained, questioned or suffered other negative consequences from speaking to foreign media, while 45 percent reported similar official pressure on Chinese colleagues, the report further said.

The restrictions on journalists were concomitant with China's Covid curbs which included lengthy quarantines and mass testing- a policy which was dismantled by Beijing in December.

"A bevy of state restrictions, ongoing digital surveillance, and the continued harassment of Chinese colleagues and sources means existing challenges to true freedom of the press in China remain", the report said. The report was based on a survey of 102 of the FCCC's 166 members, representing news organisations from 30 countries and regions.

China was ranked 175th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2022 Media Freedom Index.