Photo: foreignpolicyblogs.com
The Chinese government is threatening to expel nearly two dozen foreign correspondents from the New York Times and Bloomberg, a New York based international financial and business news agency, following investigations that exposed the private wealth of Chinese leaders. Unless the government changes course, reporters and their dependants will be required to leave the country when their visas expire over the next week or two.
China’s government has a history of restrictions with their own press, and until 2007 Beijing-based journalists were barred from leaving the capital without prior written permission. This was removed in 2007; as a condition for hosting the Olympics, but also to symbolically show their political transparency.
In May 2012, Journalist Melissa Chan became the first foreign correspondent to be expelled in 13 years, and in November, American journalist Paul Mooney was denied a visa, along with several other reporters. Now, following a Times article calculating the wealth of ex-Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s family, and a similar article in Bloomberg, produced about President Xi Jinping,the government is taking steps to punish both companies: by blocking a Times website aimed at Chinese readers, and ordering financial customers not to buy any new Bloomberg terminals.
US Vice President Joe Biden
Photo: Wikipedia
The ongoing stand-off between the government and the foreign press ignited a forceful complaint from US Vice President Biden. Biden also met privately with the international investigators and advised that he had warned President Xi that there would be repercussions, but the president had appeared unmoved, insisting that the authorities treated reporters according to Chinese law. Some noted that China has withheld visas in the past as a pressure tactic, before issuing them at the last minute.
Progress was made at the end of this month when the government renewed the press cards of several correspondents, allowing them to reapply for their visa. Receiving their press credentials has in theory removed their restrictions, and Bloomberg spokeswoman Belina Tan said, “We have received all of our China press cards and continue to operate as usual.”
While some journalists have not yet received their press cards and still face potential expulsion, even those with renewed credentials are not considering themselves safe until they have the visa stamped in their passport.
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