Print

Mail

wiki links

Mainland Affairs Council blasts China over reporting curbs

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday denounced China for its new restrictions on the spread of information by foreign news agencies, saying the new curbs were an "outrageous" setback against the prevailing global trend of protecting press freedom.

The council fired the broadside a day after China's official Xinhua news agency issued a new set of strict measures to regulate the release of news and information in China by foreign news agencies and the subscription of such news and information by users in China.

The new measures make it illegal to distribute articles that are deemed to "undermine China's national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" and "endanger China's security, reputation and interests."

They also place new curbs on access to a multimillion-dollar financial information market for providers of foreign financial news .

The council denounced the measures "as yet another round of suppression of freedom of the press and the free flow of information."

As China is infamous for imposing strict censorship on news reporting and the flow of information, the council said, it was "no news" that China was now planning to interfere with journalists' news coverage.

Up until now, the council said, China has tended to fob off critics with excuses such as "adapting to China's special circumstances," and has not dared to impose restrictions on news coverage by foreign correspondents or agencies.

But in June, the council said, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress -- China's rubber-stamp parliament -- began to screen a draft package of regulations that restrict reportage on breaking news, prompting the international community to question its motivations and practices.

The newly promulgated measures took this a step further by providing a legal basis for Xinhua to directly censor the release of news and information in China by foreign news agencies, completely ignoring their independent identity and status, the council said.

It said such a drastic regression will absolutely invite the grave concern of the international media and human rights groups.

Noting that China's suppression of press freedoms and expression was mainly aimed at maintaining internal stability, the council said China's ever more stringent control of news coverage and dissemination of information evidently reflected its deep-rooted fears that the free flow of information may have a detrimental impact on China's social order and the communist regime.

also see stories:
China's new media rules condemned
Editorial: Xinhua's power is China's shame

This story has been viewed 1566 times.