Beijing China has refused to renew media accreditation to a French journalist over her reporting on terrorism in Muslim-majority Xinjiang province as the country defended its move terming her reporting on the strategically important region as “offensive”.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson yesterday confirmed that press credentials for a French journalist Ursula Gauthier has not been renewed for her comments regarding terrorism in Xinjiang.
Spokesman Lu Kang said, “Gauthier had offended the Chinese people with an article published on November 18 in which she overtly voiced support for terrorist activities”.
In the article published shortly after the Paris attacks she blamed government policy in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for terrorist attacks, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Gauthier is a Beijing-based correspondent for French news magazine L’Obs. Lu said Gauthier failed to apologise to the Chinese people for her wrong words and it is no longer suitable for her to work in China. He said China ensures the legal rights of foreign media organisations and journalists covering China stories, but will never tolerate the “freedom” of speaking for terrorism. The Foreign Correspondents Club of China has criticised the government decision.
