October 19, 2008	Sunday	Shawwal 19, 1429

BEIJING, Oct 18: China extended media freedoms for foreign reporters on Friday, enshrining rights originally granted only for the Olympics.

Foreign journalists will be allowed to travel freely across most of the country for reporting, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a news conference, unveiling the new rules.

The new regulations came after a day of resounding silence on what would happen to one of the high-profile changes Beijing made before the August Games.

The state relaxed controls over foreign correspondents from January 2007. But talks on whether to allow the rules to continue beyond their inbuilt expiry date went on late into the night.

“Everyone knows the Olympic regulations expire today, so it was not late (for an extension) as long as it’s before midnight,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told journalists. “This takes the main principles and spirit of the special regulations for the Olympic period and fixes them in long-term rules and regulations,” he said.

The media freedoms are not unlimited. Tibet is still closed to all foreigners and journalists have to apply for travel permits just as tourists do. Other areas may be designated off-bounds or temporarily closed after disasters, Liu said.

Chinese nationals will also still be barred from working as full correspondents for foreign organisations, and restricted to the role of assistants, he added.

The government will also work hard to ensure they are not abused by local officials wanting to shut down their area after a disaster, Liu said. Another change Liu highlighted was that visiting journalists would not need the support of a Chinese organisation to get a visa, and can simply apply to an embassy or visa organisation.—Reuters