August 18, 2025
BEIJING – The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China’s 2024 working conditions report “New Red Lines: Increasing Obstacles for Foreign Journalists in China” documents an alarming expansion of “off-limit” topics and growing unpredictability in the boundaries Chinese authorities deem sensitive. In contrast to modest post-Covid improvements in 2023, this year’s findings reveal that state controls on independent reporting are being institutionalized amid economic pressures and heightened geopolitical tensions.
Half of correspondents reported an increase in “red lines” in the past year, with traditionally taboo areas such as Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, and references to Xi Jinping now joined by once-routine subjects including China’s economy, tariffs, electric vehicles, tech policy, unemployment, labour conditions, and even cultural events like Halloween celebrations. Authorities’ scrutiny also extended to societal issues such as gender inequality and the aging population. Nearly nine out of ten (86%) journalists said interviews were declined or canceled, 38% reported harassment or intimidation of Chinese colleagues, and almost one in ten faced physical violence.
- Four out of ten respondents (38%) canceled reporting trips or interviews due to official pressure (2022: 31%).
- 42% were obstructed by officials during trips; the same percentage reported obstruction by unknown individuals.
- Visa barriers persisted: one-quarter of bureaus remained understaffed despite shorter processing times.
- Threats included restricted visas, lawsuits, and official complaints to media headquarters.
Some indicators improved: reports of police obstruction dropped from 54% in 2023 to 42% in 2024, and only 2% of journalists faced social media attacks (2022: 18%). However, 98% said reporting conditions rarely or never met international standards.
The 2024 survey shows that while overt harassment may have eased in some areas, an increasingly blurred and unpredictable set of “red lines” now constrains even the most routine reporting, deepening the institutionalized hostility toward the foreign press in China.
The report is based on a survey conducted in February and March 2025 among FCCC correspondent members, representing media outlets from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America.