Information Department,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dear Sir:
In light of past problems covering large incidents like the unrest in Tibet last year, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China would like to share some of the feedback we received from our members, given the large number of journalists who traveled to Xinjiang to cover the unrest.
Our club welcomes the relatively open access for correspondents in Urumqi and we hope this is a sign of things to come for press working conditions in China. Many correspondents who traveled to Urumqi to cover the riots and their aftermath reported to us that police and foreign affairs officials were generally helpful. They responded promptly, assisting journalists by providing special Internet and telephone lines, arranging press conferences and by keeping the reporting environment reasonably open. These are important steps toward what the FCCC asked for last year after the problems reporting in Tibet.
Still, several serious concerns remain that we hope the Chinese government will address.
In Kashgar, several correspondents were ejected from the city and prevented from doing their jobs. In Shaoguan, reporters met with obstacles while trying to report on the toy factory murders related to the Urumqi protests. The relative openness of Urumqi should be applied to all areas, in keeping with the government’s open reporting regulations.
In addition, we are extremely concerned about the hostility directed at foreign correspondents as a result of inflammatory comments in mainstream Chinese media regarding coverage of Xinjiang. At least two of our members have received deaths threats, many others have had disturbing telephone calls or been targeted by email viruses. We are also concerned about warnings to journalists in Xinjiang to avoid breaking the rules by asking sensitive questions. One correspondent in Urumqi was detained on that charge, which goes against standard international reporting conditions.
The media arrangements in Urumqi represented a genuine step forward. The recent progress toward an open reporting climate should not be undermined by statements that stir up hostility toward foreign journalists.
For more details, please see the incidents below. I am more than happy to meet and discuss these matters in person. This is not an exhaustive list, but gives some examples of the obstacles our members faced:
Yours sincerely,
Scott McDonald
President,
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China
