The FCCC has published its annual media freedoms report, “Control, Halt, Delete: Reporting in China under threat of expulsion,” an in-depth examination of media freedoms in China in 2019.

See the link and press release below.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gky8352xue74kuh/control-halt-delete.pdf?dl=0

PRESS RELEASE: JOURNALISM GROUP FINDS CHINA USING STATE POWER TO SUPPRESS FACTUAL REPORTING
BEIJING, CHINA – March 2, 2020  The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) has published its annual media freedoms report, “Control, Halt, Delete: Reporting in China under threat of expulsion,” an in-depth examination of media freedoms in China in 2019. For the second consecutive year, not a single correspondent surveyed for the report said conditions improved. The report finds Chinese authorities have weaponized visas against the foreign press, issuing truncated press credentials to a dozen journalists in 2019, and expelling four correspondents since August 2019. This amounts to one of the most brazen attempts in the post-Mao Zedong era to influence foreign news organizations and to punish those whose work the Chinese government deems unacceptable. The report’s other main findings from 2019 include:

• 82% of respondents experienced interference, harassment or violence while reporting
• 44% of respondents said their Chinese colleagues encountered harassment at least once
• 43% of respondents said concern over digital and physical surveillance affected their ability to report, conduct interviews and communicate with sources
• 70% of correspondents reported the cancellation of interviews due to actions taken by Chinese authorities
• 25% of respondents say they received visas of less than 12 months
• 76% of respondents had interviews declined by sources who say they are not permitted to speak to foreign media, or who require prior permission to speak to foreign media
• 51% of respondents said they were obstructed at least once by police or other officials
• 41% of respondents belong to news organizations that have put in place additional security procedures in efforts to support and/or reassure Chinese colleagues

Drawing on responses from 114 correspondents representing 25 countries and regions, this year’s media freedoms report provides a detailed picture of sustained efforts by the Chinese state to suppress factual reporting from foreign press that does not fit with the global image it seeks to present. For inquiries regarding the report, please contact the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China at fcccadmin@gmail.com. About the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of ChinaThe Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China is the professional association of Beijing-based journalists reporting on China for audiences around the world.
Its members include accredited journalists, diplomats, authors, academics, public relations consultants and corporate personnel. The FCCC organizes a full program of talks and social events and is a vibrant hub of networking for China-watchers and journalists.
The Club publishes an annual media freedoms report based on a survey of its correspondent members regarding working conditions in mainland China.

While frictions between the United States and China in the areas of
trade and technology are certainly noteworthy, the most critical
driver of potential instability between Washington and Beijing
actually consists of clashing security perceptions and policies. What
is the status of bilateral security ties and how might they develop
going forward? What can be gleaned from China’s 2019 Defense White
Paper about Beijing’s military strategy? Will we see increasing
competition between the two countries in the security arena?

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Michael Swaine is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace and one of the most prominent American analysts in
Chinese security studies. Formerly a senior policy analyst at the RAND
Corporation, Swaine is a specialist in Chinese defense and foreign
policy, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian international relations.

He has authored and edited more than a dozen books and monographs and
many journal articles and book chapters in these areas, directs
several security-related projects with Chinese partners, and advises
the U.S. government on Asian security issues. He received his
doctorate in government from Harvard University.

Venue: British Embassy Beijing 英国驻华大使馆, 11 Guang Hua Lu, Beijing 100600