Journalists covering the Chinese Foreign Minister’s tour of the Pacific say that filming or access to events has been blocked, and that not a single question from a Pacific journalist to Wang has been allowed. Yi.
The allegations raise serious press and alarm concerns about the ability of Pacific journalists to do their jobs, especially as the relationship between the region and China approaches.
Wang is halfway through a marathon trip visiting eight countries in 10 days. He has so far held bilateral meetings in the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa and Fiji, with trips to Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
At each stop, Wang has signed bilateral agreements, but has not yet received a single question from a Pacific journalist, who was told at the start of press conferences that no questions will be allowed.
Lice Movono, a Fiji journalist who has written for The Guardian, said that during the stage of the tour in Fiji she witnessed multiple attempts by Chinese officials to limit the ability of journalists to cover the event.
“From the beginning there was a lot of secrecy, no transparency, no access,” he said.
She said that the media, which was granted permission to cover the visit, including her, had her revoked without explanation, and that she and her camera operator had received a police order. they were leaving the lobby of the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, where they were preparing to film the start of the meeting between Wang and Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama on Monday.
On Sunday, when the media set out to film Wang’s arrival at the Pacific Islands Forum building for a meeting with Secretary-General Henry Puna, the ABC was blocked from filming. despite having received permission to do so. The Pacific Islands Forum intervened to allow filming to continue, but Movono said Chinese officials stood in front of the camera, trying to block the plane.
Movono said the joint press conference of Wang and Bainimarama on Monday afternoon was run by Chinese officials.
“The media briefing was hosted by the visiting government, the press releases were broadcast by the Chinese government,” he said. “We were told we couldn’t ask questions. Anyway, when some of us shouted questions, a Chinese government official shouted that we should stop.”
Movono said that when a journalist asked questions, he was ordered to leave the room and a security guard tried to accompany him before other journalists intervened to defend him.
“It really bothered me what I saw,” Movono said. “When you live in Fiji you get used to the militarized nature of the place, but to see Chinese officials do it was quite disturbing … To be a journalist in Fiji is to be worried about imprisonment all the time. Journalism is criminalized. Being imprisoned or the company you work for can be fined a crippling amount that can close the operation … But to see how foreigners send you back to your country was a different level. “
At Wang’s first stop in the Solomon Islands, the Solomon Islands Media Association (MASI) boycotted coverage of the visit because many journalists were barred from attending Wang’s press conference. with Covid-19 restrictions cited as a reason.
There were only two questions allowed, one from Solomon’s journalist to the island’s foreign minister and another from the Chinese media to Wang.
At Wang’s stops in Kiribati, Samoa and Fiji, questions were not allowed at press conferences held by political leaders announcing bilateral agreements.
Georgina Kekea, president of MASI, said that the lack of access to journalists during the visit raised serious concerns about freedom of the press, which she said had been quite strong in the Solomon Islands.
“It’s pretty worrying for us, we really have a good freedom to do our job, but when it comes to these events, it seems like they’re blocking us,” he said. “Anything to do with China, it looks like everyone is going to be locked in with this … It’s very frustrating.”
Shailendra Singh, an associate professor of journalism at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, said the lack of access raised many questions. “The lack of access by journalists to the Foreign Minister is deeply worrying. It goes against the democratic principles of the countries in the region and the role of the media in a free society.
“Are our governments holding the media of their own free will or at the request of the Chinese? What next? Will the media also be banned from asking questions of our politicians and local leaders?” stop”.