CHINA—On the morning of November 4, reporters were on their way to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where Chinese President Hu Jintao would greet African leaders at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
These reporters are considered the lucky ones. It is rare for the Chinese communist regime to grant press access to diplomatic functions for Taiwanese, Hong Kong, and Macao media. Most reporters from Taiwan are routinely denied participation in such events.
A reporter from Taiwan said, "Fortunately, none of the five African countries with diplomatic relations with Taiwan came to the Forum. This news is not so important now."
Officials in Beijing consider the Beijing Summit a rehearsal for the 2008 Olympics. At the Summit, Chinese authorities have micro-managed activities with excessive precision. It is unclear whether Chinese officials can maintain comparable control over the 30,000 reporters visiting China for the 2008 Olympics. A local official admitted that Beijing was still searching for the answer.
The Chinese regime has long opposed freedom of the press in China. In recent years, Chinese officials have enforced tougher restrictions on freedom of the press, speech, and the Internet. In addition, it is commonly known that journalists are beaten and imprisoned, activists are arrested, and Internet usage is closely monitored.
"The Olympics will bring freedom to Beijing? I think quite the contrary," said a foreign reporter stationed in Beijing.
Domestic journalists have a tougher time than foreign reporters. The reports of Chinese journalists are censored and require approval from officials. Bribes are used to dispose of any reports disliked by Chinese authorities.
A foreign journalist commented on the intention of the Chinese to rehearse the handling of media during the Beijing Summit. "The Olympics is not as simple as the Chinese think. The number of reporters at the Olympics will be far more than that of the Beijing summit. There will be numerous conflicts."
During the Olympics, the challenge for Chinese officials is not so much how to control the thousands of international journalists, but whether officials are capable of understanding international expectations for freedom of the press.
Chinese authorities are not accustomed to facing a free press. They are quite inexperienced in handling issues of media transparency for such large-scale events as the Olympics. So far, they are still leading a life of isolation from the media. Will the Olympics bring China to reform its restrictions on the media? Or will China stain Olympic press freedom? Time will tell.
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