By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, May 6: China continues to be ranked among the lowest rungs of the global press freedom index as it was placed 172nd among 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.
The World Press Freedom Index, compiled and published annually by RSF since 2002, evaluates countries based on their press freedom records in the preceding year. It aims to gauge the level of freedom enjoyed by journalists, news organisations, and netizens in each country, as well as the efforts made by authorities to uphold this freedom.
In its latest, RSF described the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the world’s largest prison for journalists. The regime in China is noted for its suppression of journalism and the right to information on a global scale.
Major Chinese media outlets such as Xinhua News Agency, China Central Television (CCTV), China National Radio (CNR), and newspapers like China Daily, People’s Daily, and the Global Times are state-owned and directly controlled by authorities. The Chinese Communist Party’s Propaganda Department issues daily editorial guidelines and censored topics to all media. State-owned outlets such as China Global Television Network (CGTN) and Radio China International (RCI) disseminate the regime’s propaganda worldwide.
Politically, the Chinese regime views the media as a mouthpiece for the party and aims to suppress independent reporting. Journalists who cover sensitive topics may face surveillance, harassment, detention, and even torture. The legal framework ostensibly guarantees freedom of speech but the press is routinely violated with impunity. Broadly defined offences like “espionage” and “subversion” are used to silence journalists, who can be detained for extended periods without legal representation.
Economically, the media industry in China is lucrative but heavily controlled by the government and the Communist Party. There are considerations to pass laws banning private investment in media, further tightening the regime’s grip on information and stifling independent voices. Socio-culturally, President Xi Jinping’s administration has enforced strict control over media akin to the Maoist era, where accessing and providing information are treated as crimes.
Concerns were raised by RSF during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to France on May 6. RSF highlighted the contradiction between France welcoming Xi Jinping as a state guest while over 100 journalists are detained in China. RSF urged the French government to pressure the Chinese regime to halt its campaign of censorship and repression against journalists.
RSF Assistant Director General, Thibaut Bruttin stated “The way France is welcoming Chinese leader Xi Jinping contrasts with RSF’s own experience: whilst the Chinese leader is being celebrated as a state guest of honour, one of our staff members was expelled from Hong Kong on 10 April, on her way to monitor the trial of Jimmy Lai, the founder of the independent media Apple Daily, who is being held alongside more than 100 fellow journalists, for simply doing his job. RSF calls on the French government to seize this opportunity and to put pressure on Xi Jinping’s regime and obtain, during this official visit, commitments and guarantees that Beijing will cease its campaign of censorship and repression against journalists”.
