Incident
China: press credentials and visas withheld from correspondents at three American newspapers
ChinaRSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180
- Credential control
- Stage Punish
- Sustained
A survey by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China found the government refused new press credentials to journalists tied to American outlets and cancelled or refused visas for correspondents at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post through 2020.123
What happened
In a report issued in March 2021 covering the preceding year, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC), a professional association of foreign reporters based in the country, surveyed 150 of its members from 30 countries and regions and found that media freedom for foreign correspondents had deteriorated significantly in 2020. Among the specific findings, the report said Chinese authorities had refused to issue press credentials to journalists accredited with United States news outlets, had cancelled and refused to issue new visas for correspondents at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, and had expelled at least 18 foreign journalists in the first half of the year alone. The credential and visa restrictions extended the effect of earlier expulsion orders, since a journalist without a valid press card or visa cannot legally remain in the country to report, regardless of whether they were personally named in an expulsion order.123
The restrictions were in force through the period covered by the March 2021 report; the source reviewed does not report a reversal.123
What reason was given
Stated justificationNot stated in the sources reviewed; no Chinese government justification for the specific credential and visa denials is quoted in the source.123
What changed for reporting
Correspondents at three major American newspapers lost the credentials and visas needed to report from China even where they had not been individually ordered to leave, compounding earlier expulsions.1
Timeline
2020
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Xi Jinping | ordered | President of China |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| The New York Times | outlet | affected |
| The Wall Street Journal | outlet | affected |
| The Washington Post | outlet | affected |
Sources
- Foreign correspondents in China face COVID-19 restrictions and expulsions, FCCC finds
- Factbox: Foreign journalists forced to leave China as diplomatic tensions worsen
- China to revoke credentials of U.S. journalists from 3 major newspapers
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- The survey found at least 18 foreign journalists were expelled from China in the first half of 2020.
Expelled at least 18 foreign journalists in the first half of 2020
Foreign correspondents in China face COVID-19 restrictions and expulsions, FCCC finds, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-03-03.Claim 508, checked 2026-09-22. - China refused to issue press credentials to journalists accredited with United States news outlets.
Refused to issue press credentials to journalists accredited with U.S. news outlets
Foreign correspondents in China face COVID-19 restrictions and expulsions, FCCC finds, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-03-03.Claim 570, checked 2026-09-22. - China cancelled and refused new visas to foreign correspondents from the three named newspapers.
Cancelled and refused to issue new visas to foreign correspondents from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post
Foreign correspondents in China face COVID-19 restrictions and expulsions, FCCC finds, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021-03-03.Claim 571, checked 2026-09-22.