Country
China
Government actions against journalists in China
RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180. World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF); rank 1 is the freest.
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
China is in Eastern Asia, Asia. The record holds 6 incidents in which the government of China, or an official, court or legislature there, limited journalists' ability to report.
Tactics used
- Access bans: 2 incidents · ladder
- Credential control: 2 incidents · ladder
- Expulsion and visa denial: 2 incidents · ladder
- Detention and violence: 1 incident · ladder
- Secrets and espionage laws: 1 incident · ladder
Heads of government at the time
Incidents by year
2024
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2024 | China: editor Dong Yuyu is sentenced to seven years for espionage over meals with a diplomat | Secrets and espionage laws | Eliminate | Xi Jinping | Ongoing (1 November 2024) |
2020
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May 2020 | China: citizen journalist Zhang Zhan imprisoned for Wuhan reporting | Detention and violence | Eliminate | Xi Jinping | Ongoing |
| 18 March 2020 | China: press credentials and visas withheld from correspondents at three American newspapers | Credential control | Punish | Xi Jinping | Sustained (3 March 2021) |
| 17 March 2020 | China expels American journalists from three major U.S. newspapers | Expulsion and visa denial | Punish | Xi Jinping | Sustained |
| 19 February 2020 | China: three Wall Street Journal correspondents expelled over an opinion headline | Access bans | Punish | Xi Jinping | Sustained (19 February 2020) |
1989
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 June 1989 | China expels foreign journalists and restricts coverage of the Tiananmen Square protests | Expulsion and visa denial | Punish | Li Peng | Sustained (1 January 1990) |
Ladders: where each tactic has led · Timeline for China · Asia