Foreign Journalists in China Face Increasing Harassment, Obstructions: Report

Media freedom in China continues to deteriorate as foreign journalists face growing harassment, violence, visa problems, and high-tech surveillance by the Chinese communist regime, according to a new survey. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC), the professional association of Beijing-based journalists reporting on China, released its annual report on media freedom in China in 2023, on April 8, titled “Masks off, Barriers Remain.” It describes how the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used COVID-19 control measures to “strangle” foreign news agencies’ coverage of events in China. The FCCC surveyed its 157 members from January to February this year, with 101 responding. According to the report, 81 percent of the survey respondents believed that their WeChat accounts had been “probably or definitely” compromised by the CCP, 72 percent believed that their mobile phones had been hacked, while 55 percent thought that the authorities had placed audio-recording devices in their homes or offices....