Olympic Games 2008

Hu urges foreign journalists to stick to Beijing's rules

Article published on the 2008-08-01 Latest update 2008-08-01 15:11 TU

Hu Jintao speaks to journalists
(Photo: Reuters)

Chinese President Hu Jintao used an interview with the foreign press on Friday to encourage journalists to keep politics out of their Olympic coverage and to abide by Chinese laws. But Bejing has partially lifted internet censorship for foreign journalists following uproar earlier in the week.

In a concession to journalists, some websites which had been banned were accessible to the foreign press today, including those of Amnesty International, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.

Many other sites remain blocked, including those referring to the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, the Tibetan government in exile and sites containing information on the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

Jonathan Watts, chairman of the foreign correspondent's club in Beijing told RFI that lifting some internet curbs was a step forward but that journalists are still not satisfied.

"This is still not the complete freedom that was promised to the media when they arrived for the Olympics, nor is it the unfettered access that the International Olympic Committee said would be available."

Hu said during Friday's interview that the Chinese authorities would continue to provide facilities for foreign journalists reporting from China.

"Of course, we also hope the foreign reporters will abide by Chinese laws and regulations," he said. "We also hope you will provide objective reports of what you see here".

With around 20,000 foreign journalists arriving to cover the games, Hu was eager to remind journalists to stick to covering sports events and keep politics apart, saying that to do so would be against the Olympic spirit.

Hu also spoke about the economy, saying that his government's priorities were maintaining steady and fast economic growth and controlling increasing prices.

The interview was highly scripted - all questions had to be sent in advance for approval. A German interviewer attempted to ask a question about human rights at the end, but the question was ignored.

In recent months, politics have been linked to Olympic coverage, as human rights protestors attempted to hijack the world tour of the Olympic flame, and a crackdown in Tibet attracted the world's attention in March.

Tibet campaigners said on Friday that they would be staging peaceful protests in Beijing during the games, despite tough security measures in the Chinese capital. Students for a Free Tibet say that security will determine where and when protests will take place.

A spokesperson said that the group had also been encouraging athletes to speak out on the issue.