After 40 years of presence, the Canadian public audiovisual group CBC/Radio Canada announced to close its office in Beijing faced with the impossibility of obtaining a new visa for his correspondent.

“There’s no point in keeping an office empty when we could easily settle elsewhere, in another country that welcomes journalists and respects the control exercised by journalists.”said CBC General Information Manager Brodie Fenlon on Nov. 3.

“Closing the Beijing office is the last thing we want to do, but we were forced to do it.”he added on the group’s website.

CBC/Radio-Canada has been seeking a visa for its new correspondent since October 2020. Despite numerous discussions and requests to meet with the Chinese consulate in Montreal, the public group has not received a response. The journalist will work from Taiwan with immediate effect.

“Unfortunately, CBC has closed its China office after more than 40 years in Beijing”CBC’s former Beijing correspondent Sasa Petricic commented on Twitter. “During the five years I was there, regulatory obstacles made reporting increasingly difficult”he testified. “But being there is still the best way to tell China’s story. I hope we come back”.

Unfortunately, CBC is closing its China office after more than 40 years in Beijing. In the 5 years I was there, official roadblocks made it increasingly difficult to report and Beijing did not respond to the issuance of new visas for CBC. Still, being there remains the best way to tell China’s story. I hope we’ll be back pic.twitter.com/lO0fUc1ZHz

– Sasa Petricic (@sasapetricic) November 2, 2022

“China coverage is increasingly remote”

For its part, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) noted that the Chinese government “Broadly refuses to issue new visas to foreign journalists following implementation of mass deportations in 2020”. “China coverage is increasingly remote”the FCCC complained in its annual report that it was not recognized by the Chinese authorities.

In 2020, China ordered American journalists for daily newspapers New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal return their press card. A measure equivalent de facto Deportation because this document specifies residence permits in China for foreign journalists.

In the latest Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report on press freedom in the world, China ranks 175th out of 180.