China to ensure press freedom during Games

Foreign journalists who encounter problems while covering the Olympics should file a formal complaint, a senior Chinese official said on Thursday.

Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, said that press members can complain directly to Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee. Liu accompanied Li on a tour of the newly-opened Beijing International Media Center (BIMC), which will serve the needs of some 5,000 unaccredited journalists.

“China will earnestly abide by relevant regulations regarding foreign journalists' reporting activities in the country,” China Daily reported Li as saying.

Liu said he hoped journalists could “truly and fully cover the events and tell the world (about) a true China,” a related report in Xinhua said.

According to AP, whether foreign journalists will be able to report freely from Beijing is still an issue despite repeated assurances from Chinese officials.

The news media cited a Human Rights Watch report that said China continues to block and threaten foreign journalists.

Granting journalists free access during the Olympic period was one of the promises China made when it won the bid to host the Olympics in 2001.

China Daily reported that new regulations which took effect on January 1, 2007 gave journalists more freedom to move around China during the Beijing Games.