The working conditions for foreign journalists in China declined at an “accelerated” pace, a new report showed.

Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) stated this in an annual survey published Wednesday in China.

Reports from those who took part said 100 per cent of foreign journalists said they felt working conditions did not meet international standards.

“China continues to be one of the most important stories of our time, yet since the start of the global pandemic in 2020, press freedom across the country have declined at an accelerated pace. “It remains to be seen if they will recover,” a statement from the FCCC said.

Almost a third of respondents said they had to cancel trips or interviews because of official pressure, while more than half said police or officials had obstructed them in 2022.

According to the study, 38 per cent of respondents said at least one of their sources had been harassed, detained or called in for questioning by the authorities.

It said some had suffered negative consequences for interacting with foreign journalists, noting that the figure was up from a quarter in 2022.

The FCCC said 2022 was “another tough and draining year” for journalists where heightened Covid controls were also used to curtail reporting. 

(Dpa/NAN)