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Biden Faults China on Foreign Press Crackdown Biden Faults China on Foreign Press Crackdown
(about 2 hours later)
BEIJING — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. took up the cause of foreign journalists facing banishment from China for news coverage, publicly criticizing the Chinese government’s pressure campaign and privately raising the problems with President Xi Jinping. BEIJING — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has taken up the cause of foreign correspondents facing banishment from China for unwelcome news coverage, publicly criticizing the Chinese government’s tactics and privately raising the issue with President Xi Jinping.
Mr. Biden also met on Thursday with correspondents based in China from several news organizations mainly affected by the crackdown, most notably The New York Times and Bloomberg News. On the third day of his weeklong trip to Asia, Mr. Biden met Thursday with China-based journalists from news organizations affected by the crackdown, most notably The New York Times and Bloomberg News, to hear their concerns and describe his efforts on their behalf.
The Chinese government has held up renewing the visas of roughly two dozen correspondents from The Times and Bloomberg after each published investigative articles about the wealth of the families of top Chinese leaders. Without new visas, the reporters will be forced to leave China, as soon as within the next few weeks. Reporters in the meeting said Mr. Biden told them that he had warned Mr. Xi, in a formal session and over dinner, that there would be repercussions for China, especially in the United States Congress, if it forced out journalists. But he said the Chinese leader appeared unmoved, insisting that the authorities treated reporters according to Chinese law.
In a speech to American business people a day after he met with Mr. Xi, the vice president said the United States had “profound disagreements” with China’s “treatment of U.S. journalists.” The Chinese government has held up visa renewals for roughly two dozen correspondents from The Times and Bloomberg after the news organizations published investigative articles about the wealth of the families of top Chinese leaders. With their visas expiring by the end of 2013, the reporters will be forced to leave China — the first in about two weeks.
“Innovation thrives where people breathe freely, speak freely, are able to challenge orthodoxy, where newspapers can report the truth without fear of consequences,” Mr. Biden said. In a speech to American businessmen and women here a day after he met with Mr. Xi and other Chinese leaders, the vice president said the United States and China had many disagreements, but the most profound at the moment was the one over China’s treatment of American journalists.
The government’s actions, which appear aimed at the news organizations rather than at individual reporters, threaten to shut down the China news bureaus of The Times and Bloomberg, as well as hobble their business operations in the country. “I believe China will be stronger and more stable and more innovative if it respects universal human rights,” Mr. Biden said. “Innovation thrives where people breathe freely, speak freely, are able to challenge orthodoxy, where newspapers can report the truth without fear of consequences.”
The English and Chinese-language websites of The Times have been blocked in China since October 2012, after the paper published an extensive article on the wealth and business dealings of the family of China’s former prime minister, Wen Jiabao. The Chinese foreign ministry said Thursday that it managed foreign reporters “according to law and regulations.” A spokesman, Hong Lei, said, “Over the years, we have provided a very convenient environment for foreign correspondents to conduct interviews in China.”
“Unfettered coverage of China is a crucial issue,” said Jill Abramson, the executive editor of The Times. “At a time when China is such an important and compelling story, the world needs the highest quality reporting on it.” “As for foreign correspondents’ living and working environments in China,” Mr. Hong added, “I think as long as you hold an objective and impartial attitude, you will arrive at the right conclusion.”
Bloomberg’s website was similarly blocked after it published an article in 2012 on the fortunes amassed by relatives of President Xi. Sales of Bloomberg financial terminals dried up in China and the government issued no further residency visas to Bloomberg reporters. While China has long harassed and even expelled reporters whose coverage displeased the authorities, correspondents here said the latest tactics represented a marked escalation. Privately, Chinese officials have told reporters that they are linked to news coverage.
The pressure from Beijing played a role in Bloomberg’s subsequent decision not to publish an investigation of the ties to Communist Party leaders of Wang Jianlin, China’s wealthiest man, according to people at Bloomberg. Bloomberg’s editor in chief, Matthew Winkler, has said the article was not published because it was not ready. The reprisals appear to be aimed at entire news organizations rather than individual reporters. In the most extreme cases — The Times and Bloomberg — the moves threaten to effectively shut down the organizations’ China news bureaus, as well as harm their business operations in the country.
A spokeswoman for Bloomberg in Singapore, Belina Tan, declined to comment on the status of its reporters or on Mr. Biden’s intervention on their behalf. The English- and Chinese-language websites of The Times have been blocked in China since October 2012, after the paper published an extensive article on the wealth and business dealings of the family of Wen Jiabao, China’s former prime minister.
Mr. Biden also kept up the public pressure on China over its declaration of an air defense zone in the contested waters of the East China Sea. The zone, which has drawn fierce protests from Japan and sowed fears of a clash between the two countries, was a focus of the 5 and a half hours of meetings on Wednesday between Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi. A correspondent for The Times, Chris Buckley, was forced to leave Beijing at the end of 2012 when the authorities declined to renew his visa. He continues to work for The Times from Hong Kong. The paper has also been unable to obtain accreditation for its Beijing bureau chief, Philip P. Pan, who applied for a visa in March 2012.
“China’s recent and sudden announcement of the establishment of a new air defense identification zone has, to state the obvious, caused significant apprehension in the region,” Mr. Biden said. “I was very direct about our firm position and our expectations in my conversation with Mr. Xi.” “Unfettered coverage of China is a crucial issue,” Jill Abramson, the executive editor of The Times, said in a statement. “At a time when China is such an important and compelling story, the world needs the highest-quality reporting on it.”
Mr. Biden urged China to refrain from steps that would raise tensions, and said the Chinese government needed to communicate better with its neighbors to avoid accidents or miscalculation. Bloomberg’s English-language website was blocked after it published an article in June 2012 on the fortunes amassed by relatives of President Xi. Sales of Bloomberg terminals dried up in China and the government issued no further residency visas to Bloomberg reporters.
Pressure from Beijing, some Bloomberg employees said, played a role in its decision not to publish a subsequent article investigating the ties between Wang Jianlin, one of China’s wealthiest men, and Communist Party leaders. Bloomberg’s editor in chief, Matthew Winkler, has said the article was not published because it was not ready.
On Monday, Chinese authorities denied a Bloomberg reporter entry to a joint press statement with Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and China’s premier, Li Keqiang. Mr. Cameron’s office protested to Chinese officials, who said the decision was made based on limited space in the room and denied that Bloomberg had been singled out.
A Bloomberg reporter was allowed to attend a similar statement with Mr. Biden and President Xi on Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Bloomberg in Singapore, Belina Tan, declined to comment on the status of its reporters or on the vice president’s intervention on their behalf.
In the meeting with Mr. Biden, held at the Press Club Bar in the St. Regis Hotel, the reporters stressed the urgency of their situation. Several said they believed that Mr. Biden had registered a strong protest with Mr. Xi and that it might make a difference. China, some noted, has in the past delayed visas as a pressure tactic but issued them at the last minute.
Still, the Chinese government, they said, has become less concerned about cultivating good relations with the foreign press — a trend that became pronounced after the 2008 Olympics, when Chinese officials were angered by what they saw as negative coverage.
Reporters declined to comment on the record because Mr. Biden’s office asked that the meeting be kept private. The New York Times asked the vice president to intercede on its behalf, with time running out and repeated efforts to obtain visas unsuccessful.
For all of Mr. Biden’s efforts, there is little the Obama administration can do. The State Department has raised the issue of visas and even weighed reciprocal action against Chinese journalists seeking to come to the United States.
But the administration has a broad agenda with China, as Mr. Biden’s visit demonstrated. On Thursday, he kept up the public pressure on China over its declaration of an air defense zone in the contested waters of the East China Sea, drawing fierce protests from Japan.
Mr. Biden urged China to refrain from steps that would raise tensions, and said the Chinese needed to communicate better with their neighbors to avoid accidents or miscalculation.
“I was very direct about our firm position and our expectations in my conversation with Mr. Xi,” he said.