During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when some parts of America applauded heavy-handed government actions like banning cars (except for important people) to curb pollution, Chinese communist officials made some concessions in other ways - namely allowing journalists (from other countries, that is) to operate with some freedom.
No more. China seems to be concerned that, given the recent unrest in Africa and calls for freedom and actual voting, international journalists will try to foment rebellion in China. The Chinese people don't seem to have much interest in duplicating the situation in Egypt or Libya or anywhere else but the Chinese government is not taking any chances. In the aftermath of a rather severe beating of a journalist and detainment of others, Chinese officials are warning that they need to learn the "new rules" for reporting there - namely getting permission from the government to carry out interviews in Beijing.
As ABC's Clarissa Ward reports, the icy hand is everywhere:
Two policemen banged on my door Saturday afternoon bearing a similar message. They claimed that they needed to talk to me about my registration and asked for my passport and residency.Although they did not mention my reporting, their parting words were unambiguous: "Make sure you understand Chinese law."
