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China press freedoms due to end China's press freedoms extended
(30 minutes later)
Rules that gave foreign reporters greater freedom during the Beijing Olympics are due to expire. China has extended rules that gave foreign reporters greater freedom during the Beijing Olympics.
China has not yet said whether they will be extended, scrapped or replaced by a new set of regulations. State news agency Xinhua said the temporary arrangement for the games, due to expire on Friday, would become standard practice.
The rules were brought in as part of China's efforts to open up further to the outside world for the Olympics. It means journalists can continue to conduct interviews without applying to the authorities for permission.
Critics claim that while they did give reporters more freedom, journalists were still harassed and intimidated by the authorities. Critics say the rules, part of efforts to open China up to the world, did not stop harassment and intimidation.
Unclear future Restrictions remain
Despite repeated questions from foreign journalists about the issue, China has not yet said what will happen after the rules expire. class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7676013.stm">How free are reporters in China?
At a regular press briefing on Thursday, foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said new arrangements would be "released shortly". Despite repeated questions from foreign journalists about the issue, China has not until now said what would happen after the rules expire.
class="" href="/1/hi/world/7676013.stm">How free are reporters in China? China introduced the rules in January last year for foreign journalists who wanted to report on Olympic-related issues.
"We will, as always, welcome foreign journalists to China and continue to facilitate your work and stay," he told reporters. They allow correspondents to travel around China without first getting permission from the authorities - as they had to do previously.
China introduced the rules in January last year for foreign journalists who wanted to report on Olympic-related issues. They expire on 17 October. "To interview organisations or individuals in China, foreign journalists need only to obtain their prior consent," the regulations state.
They allowed correspondents to travel around China without first getting permission from the authorities - as they had to do previously. class="lp" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/default.stm">HAVE YOUR SAY I do not think any of us will be holding our collective breath to see if Chinese officials will be less restrictiveShelia Bumgarner, United States class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=5519&edition=2&ttl=20081017152630">Send us your commentsIn practice foreign reporters have had more freedom to do their work, but have not been completely left alone by the authorities, says the BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing.
"To interview organisations or individuals in China, foreign journalists need only to obtain their prior consent," the regulations stated. Certain sensitive areas, such as Tibet, were off limits, and correspondents have continued to be detained by the authorities.
In practice foreign reporters did have more freedom to do their work, but were not completely left alone by the authorities. Also these regulations do not apply to Chinese journalists, who face a high degree of control and censorship by the Chinese government.
Certain sensitive areas, such as Tibet, were off limits, and correspondents continued to be detained by the authorities.
HAVE YOUR SAY I do not think any of us will be holding our collective breath to see if Chinese officials will be less restrictiveShelia Bumgarner, United StatesSend us your comments
Also these regulations did not apply to Chinese journalists, who face a high degree of control and censorship by the Chinese government.
"[The rules] did mark a new and much higher standard in Chinese law for reporting freedom," said Sophie Richardson, of US-based Human Rights Watch.
"But keeping the regulations in effect and extending them to Chinese journalists would be one of the most important legacies of the Games."