London (AsiaNews) Censorship and controls affecting foreign news agencies working in China will not touch "financial and economic information," Premier Wen Jiabao told a group of businessmen during a meeting at the China British Business Council. The move is a bid to "protect the rights of investors" and ally criticisms of a further crackdown on information recently launched by China.
Speaking after talks yesterday with Prime Minister Tony Blair, Wen said the central government would "ensure the freedom and the rights of the foreign news media and foreign financial information agencies operating in China".
On 10 September, Xinhua published rules pertaining to the sale and dissemination of foreign news in China. All Chinese clients can get their news only through the government agency, which reserves the right to "choose news" and "delete" prohibited news.
The long list of "prohibitions" includes any item of news that "disrupts China's economic and social order and undermines China's social stability", as well as its "national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity", and also that which might "incite hatred and discrimination among ethnic groups" or "undermine their unity". And, a rule already in force for local media and the internet, foreign news agencies will now also be banned from reporting news that might "violate China's religious policies or preach evil cults or superstitions."
The rules apply to written text, photos, graphics and other means of communication with immediate effect.
Agencies that do not submit to these rules could even be deprived of their accreditation and right to report news about China.
Xinhua's interest in holding onto an economic monopoly of information appears to be at the root of this censorship of foreign media: for years, many Chinese firms and organizations have been subscribing to foreign services to receive news directly without going through Xinhua, as per the regulations. But the imposition of new rules is also creating a monopoly of information. Human Rights in China said these measures "are an authoritarian attempt to control news and information dissemination, [depriving] China's users of uncensored news and information." There appears to be an attempt to exclude foreign news agencies from the Chinese market, which is booming in anticipation of the upcoming Olympics.
Reporters sans Frontières said the new rules seem to go against the free market norms accepted by China with its membership of the WTO.
The new rules which basically extend to foreign agencies those regulations already established for local media were emanated amid a clampdown by China on the internet, television and books with with dismissals, arrests and sentences against journalists.
Many observers say the government is mostly concerned about the upcoming 17th Congress of the Communist Party, slated for next year, which should see leadership changes. To avoid speculation that may dent political stability and the power of Hu Jintao, a move has been made to control information. But the government's concern that the media should not report natural and social emergencies indicates it is afraid that news about increasing rural and labour revolts may threaten the facade of social harmony so fervently praised and pledged by Hu Jintao.
Recently, rules have also been launched regarding court sentences, the proceeding of trials and other legal news, which may now only come from authorized spokesmen. Many Chinese journalists believe this norm is just a means to cover up all those cases of manipulation in sentencing and corruption among judges.
