UNITED KINGDOM: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao vows to protect foreign media's freedom and rights at press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair; demonstration greets Wen Jiabao

China's open policy to foreign media and financial information agencies remains unchanged and the government will protect their freedom and rights, China's Premier Wen Jiabao said on Wednesday (September 13). The Chinese leader was in Britain for a flying visit to meet British prime minister Tony Blair in 10 Downing Street. Outside, a small group of demonstrators gathered, protesting peacefully against Chinese treatment of the Falun Gong sect and the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Wen told a news conference: "I would like to reiterate that the open policy adopted by the Chinese government regarding the foreign news media and the financial information agencies operating in China remains unchanged." "I think that there are a lot of misunderstandings about the Chinese government policy for foreign media doing business in China. The Chinese government will ensure the freedom and rights of the foreign news media and foreign financial information agencies operating in China," he said, speaking through an interpreter. The official Xinhua news agency announced rules on Sunday (September 10) requiring foreign media to seek approval to distribute news, saying it could censor reports distributed by foreign media and delete forbidden content. The United States has expressed concern about the new restrictions and trade officials are looking at whether Washington could challenge them as a violation of World Trade Organisation rules. Wen Jiabao was on a brief visit to Britain and had talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair about, among other topics, Iran's nuclear ambitions and the looming humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Wen, arrived fresh from an EU-Asia summit in Helsinki, also discussed trade and investment opportunities with Blair. Britain is China's biggest European Union investor and its third-biggest trade partner within the bloc. At a news conference in Downing Street, Wen Jiabao was asked about the situation in Afghanistan, responding: "I believe one of the most critical factors to the solution of the Afghanistan issue is to have a democratic, independent and strong government and this government should unite all the ethnic communities in Afghanistan to bring about stability, reconstruction and development of the nation." On the day a senior British minister said that keeping prisoners beyond the reach of law in Guantanamo Bay was a shocking affront to democracy, Blair was pushed on his stance on the U.S. military camp and its foreign detainees. Blair responded cautiously, saying: "I'm not going to say anything other than I've said many times before which is that we've got to make sure that the people there are subject to a proper judicial process but in a way that also protects security as well and I know that the US government is looking at ways in order to do that." Lord Charles Falconer, secretary of state for constitutional affairs and a close ally of Blair, voiced some of his country's sternest criticism of the U.S. military camp during a speech to lawyers in Australia.

ITN Source | September 13, 2006

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