Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




SINO DAILY
China media vows punishment for dissenting Tibetan officials
by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Jan 29, 2015


US concerned about press freedom in China: senior diplomat
Beijing (AFP) Jan 28, 2015 - Washington is concerned about press freedom in China, a senior US diplomat said in Beijing Wednesday as some US news organisations face repercussions over their reporting of issues deemed sensitive by the ruling Communist Party.

"There is no doubt that we are very concerned about the freedom of the press, about the ability for journalists to be here, to stay here, to have status here," said Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, on the first stop of a three-country visit to Asia.

"All of those are very critical issues," she added.

Washington has criticised China's treatment of foreign correspondents after new reporters for The New York Times and Bloomberg were not given residence visas -- apparent retaliation for investigative stories on the wealth amassed by leaders' families.

Some members of Congress have backed a draft measure calling for reciprocal denials of US visas for Chinese media workers and executives. Opinion on such a move remains divided in Washington.

China's ruling party is highly sensitive about critical coverage of its leaders, while also keeping a tight grip on information in the country.

Beijing says it respects freedom of the press and that all journalists in the country must abide by Chinese law.

In November the US and China announced a deal to extend the validity of visitor visas -- but not journalists' -- for each other's citizens to as much as 10 years.

At a joint press conference with US President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested that US news organisations had themselves to blame for not receiving visas.

"In Chinese, we have a saying: 'The party which has created the problem should be the one to help resolve it'. So perhaps we should look into the problem to see where the cause lies," Xi said.

Sherman, who is also leading the US team in its nuclear negotiations with Iran, spoke to reporters in Beijing on the first leg of an Asia trip that will also take her to Seoul and Tokyo.

China's state media on Thursday called for officials who take an "ambiguous attitude" towards Tibetan independence to be prosecuted, after personnel in the region were reportedly punished for communicating with the Dalai Lama.

A total of 15 officials of the ruling Communist party had "violated discipline" for activities including "providing information to the Dalai Lama" and "participating in underground groups", the state-run China News Service said this week, adding they would be punished by party authorities.

Many Tibetans resent Chinese rule and official restrictions on their Buddhist religion. China strictly limits public expressions of support for the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader who escaped China in 1959 and is still revered by many Tibetans.

Beijing says it has brought development to the region, denies repression and brands the Dalai Lama a "separatist" seeking independence for Tibet.

The Global Times newspaper, which has ties to the ruling Communist party, said in an editorial that "if there are officials who take an ambiguous attitude on the Tibetan independence question... they must be investigated and prosecuted regardless of their ethnicity".

"Party officials in Tibet won't receive favourable treatment for their support of separatists and they will pay the price for this. This must be made known to all Tibetan officials," it added.

The US-based International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement that the move would add to tensions in the region, saying: "Punishing Tibetan officials for allegedly supporting the moderate policy of genuine autonomy put forward by the Dalai Lama is a radical and wrong move that could further alienate the Tibetan population."

It added that restrictions have increased since deadly riots in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 2008, under which "almost any expression of Tibetan identity not directly sanctioned by the state can be branded as 'anti-separatist', and penalised by a prison sentence, or worse".

More than 130 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese policies since 2009, with most dying.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
China News from SinoDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








SINO DAILY
China university 'expels student over genetic blood disease'
Beijing (AFP) Jan 23, 2015
A student in Beijing is suing his university after he was allegedly expelled for having the rare hereditary blood disease haemophilia, reports said Friday, the latest case in China's long history of medical discrimination. The student, identified by the pseudonym Zheng Qing, is suing the China Institute of Industrial Relations after he was officially expelled earlier this month, the governme ... read more


SINO DAILY
Soyuz Installed at Baikonur, Expected to Launch Wednesday

Elon Musk says SpaceX using electric rockets is 'impossible' after 'Simpsons' episode

SES Entrusts Arianespace With SES-12

Google aboard as Musk's SpaceX gets $1 bn in funding

SINO DAILY
Helicopter Could be 'Scout' for Mars Rovers

Hilltop Panorama Marks Mars Rover's 11th Anniversary

Mysteries in Nili Fossae

NASA, Microsoft Collaboration Will Allow Scientists to 'Work on Mars'

SINO DAILY
Service Module of Chinese Probe Enters Lunar Orbit

Service module of China's lunar orbiter enters 127-minute orbit

Chinese spacecraft to return to moon's orbit

Russian Company Proposes to Build Lunar Base

SINO DAILY
Something Special in the Air

NASA craft set to beam home close-ups of Pluto

New Horizons ready for planet's beyond beyond

Maybe two more planets in our Solar System: astronomers

SINO DAILY
Ancient star system has Earth-sized planets forming near start of universe

Gigantic ring system around J1407b much larger, heavier than Saturn's

New research re-creates planet formation in the lab

Planets outside our solar system more hospitable to life than thought

SINO DAILY
Russia Could Export 30 More Rocket Engines to US

Watch SpaceX nearly land rocket on floating barge

Watch NASA test the newest space launch system rocket engine

Alaskan sounding rocket studies role of solar wind on Earth's atmosphere

SINO DAILY
More Astronauts for China

China launches the FY-2 08 meteorological satellite successfully

China's Long March puts satellite in orbit on 200th launch

Countdown to China's new space programs begins

SINO DAILY
Rosetta watches comet shed its dusty coat

Asteroid That Flew Past Earth Has Moon

Scientists befuddled by mysterious white spot on Ceres

Cosmic puzzle settled: Comets give us shooting stars




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.