Chinese Bank Staff Block Reporters From Covering Canadian Finance Minister’s Remarks

Epoch Times reporter Beck Zhou was corralled into a corner by six men working under the direction of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Canada) at an event attended by Finance Minister Joe Oliver on March 23, 2015. Matthew Little/Epoch Times

TORONTO—Staff working at an Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) event blocked and corralled two Chinese reporters and a cameraman attempting to cover a media availability with Finance Minister Joe Oliver on Monday, March 23. 

ICBC Canada, a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned ICBC,  was hosting a launch event for the Canadian Renminbi Clearing Centre & Trading Hub at the Toronto Convention Centre when the incident happened.

Oliver’s staff sent a press release alerting reporters to a media availability at the event, but when reporters from Epoch Times’ Chinese edition and NTD Television tried to attend, people working there denied the reporters entry and had men block them from trying to talk with the finance minister’s staff.

We couldn't move, because those six guys surrounded us. So I couldn't talk to anyone.

— Chinese Epoch Times reporter Becky Zhou