2LT International News
CBC News to close China office due to journalist visa request issues
Nov 5, 2022
OTTAWA, Canada: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has announced that it will close its news bureau in Beijing after waiting unsuccessfully for two years for China work permits for its journalists.
In a blog post, CBC News Editor-in-Chief Brodie Fenlon said that the state owned broadcaster had numerous exchanges with Chinese officials in Canada over the past two years about visas, but without resolution.
A letter sent to China’s ambassador to Canada in April was acknowledged but not followed up, he added.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa has not responded to a request for comment.
Fenlon also noted that a correspondent for CBC’s French-language service, Radio-Canada, was still waiting for a Chinese visa after applying in October 2020.
“While there was no dramatic expulsion or pointed public statements, the effect is the same. We cannot get visas for our journalists to work there as permanent correspondents,” Fenlon said.
Over the coming months, CBC aims to find a new location to cover east Asia, while Radio-Canada will station its journalist in Taiwan for the next two years, he added.
