Sunday, November 16, 2014

Reports on Xi Jinping Statement on Foreign Journalist Visas Disappear From State Media

On November 12, 2014, New York Times reporter Mark Landler asked President Xi Jinping:
Several news organizations from the United States have had issues with residency permits in China being denied, including The New York Times.  I’m wondering in the spirit of these reciprocal visa arrangements that you’ve agreed to this week with business people and students, isn’t it time to extend that sort of right to foreign correspondents who seek to cover your country?
President Xi responded:
And China protects our citizens' freedom of expression and the normal rights and the interests of media organizations in accordance with law.  On the other hand, media outlets need to obey China's laws and regulations.  When a car breaks down on the road, perhaps we need to get off the car to see where the problem lies.  And when a certain issue is raised as a problem, there must be a reason.  In Chinese, we have a saying:  The party which has created a problem should be the one to help resolve it [literally, “Let he who tied the bell on the tiger take it off”].  So perhaps we should look into the problem to see where the cause lies.
Xi’s statements were initially reported by several state sponsored media outlets in China. For example, according to a report from the Shanghai-based “The Paper” (澎湃新闻), Xi’s statement in Chinese was:
中国政府依法保护公民的言论自由以及媒体的正当权益。但是各媒体也要遵守中国的法律。一个车子如果开到半截抛锚了,我们就要下来检查一下哪里出了毛病。中国人讲解铃还须系铃人,所以我们都可以找找原因。
However, as these screenshots show, these reports were removed from the websites of The Paper, the China Daily, Phoenix News, and Sichuan Radio and Television by November 15.

China Daily: “An Open Letter to the New York Times: News Reports Cannot Step Beyond the Limits of China’s Laws” (致纽约时报一封信:新闻报道勿跨中国法律雷池半步)
Original URL: http://cn.chinadaily.com.cn/2014-11/14/content_18917707.htm


Phoenix News: “New York Times Asks About Visas Being Rejected for American Reporters, Xi Jinping: The One Who Created the Problem Should Fix It”  (纽约时报提美国记者签证被拒问题 习近平:解铃还须系铃人)
Origina URL: http://news.ifeng.com/a/20141113/42461168_0.shtml


Sichuan Radio and Television: “Xi Jinping Responds on ‘American Reporters Being Denied Visas’: The One Who Created the Problem Should Fix It”(习近平回应“美记者签证被拒”:解铃还须系铃人)
Original URL: http://news.sctv.com/gnxw/szyw/201411/t20141115_2151168.shtml


The Paper: “Taiwan Independence, Tibet Independence, National Security: Nothing Was Off Limits During the 10 Hours of Talks Between Xi and Obama in Beijing” (习奥北京交谈长达10小时:台独、藏独、国防等话题无不涉及)
Original URL: http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1278000


Translation: Xu Zhiyong's Statement in His Own Defense

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