Race to the bottom – Restricting journalists does not serve the interests of China or India

Source: The post is based on the article “Race to the bottom – Restricting journalists does not serve the interests of China or India” published in The Hindu on 10th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS – 3: role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges.

Relevance: About actions against journalists from India and China.

News: Recently, the Chinese government froze the visas of two Indian journalists. The Chinese government have said that its recent decision was a response to India taking steps aimed at Chinese journalists.

How are journalists dragged into the geopolitical tensions between India and China?

Until 2016, reporters from both countries were on one-year visas and largely left to do their work. But in 2016, three Chinese reporters were expelled after visiting a Tibetan settlement without permission from the Home Affairs Ministry. This reduction was subsequently placed on all Chinese reporters with three-month visas in 2017.

According to Chinese reports, a Chinese reporter was told to leave India this year. In response, China warned only two Indian reporters in China to face countermeasures if Chinese visas were not restored to one-year validity.

What are the implications of actions against journalists?

a) If Chinese journalists were asked to leave and vice versa, then there would be no reporters from the world’s two largest countries covering the other, b) Absence of on-the-ground context might lead to the spread of fake news. For example, there has been fake news of a coup in China last year, c) India’s recent actions, including the government’s response to a BBC documentary, appear to show insecurity.

What should be done?

-China should understand that reciprocity should also include giving Indian organisations the kind of freedom that Chinese media enjoy in India. For example, even in the absence of Chinese employees, Chinese media can continue to report with their Indian journalists. In contrast, China bars foreign media organisations from hiring Chinese journalists except as assistants.

-Restricting all of the Chinese journalists will be counterproductive, Instead, India should scrutinise the non-journalistic activities of some Chinese reporters.