CBC Reopens Beijing Bureau 4 Years After Closure as Canada-China Media Deal Resets Ties
Updated
Updated · The Hub · Aug 20
CBC Reopens Beijing Bureau 4 Years After Closure as Canada-China Media Deal Resets Ties
1 articles · Updated · The Hub · Aug 20
Summary
CBC said it will reopen its Beijing bureau, pending final approvals, putting a Canadian journalist back in mainland China permanently for the first time in years.
The move follows a Canada-China agreement struck after Mark Carney’s January trip to Beijing, in which both sides pledged “mutual support and convenience” for media work and easier two-way travel.
The bureau closed in 2022 after China declined to renew CBC’s correspondent visa, underscoring how sharply Ottawa’s stance has shifted from calling China a major security threat to describing it as a “strategic partner.”
Security concerns remain acute: a 2024 NSICOP report said China was the most capable foreign actor at covertly influencing Canadian opinion through media, while foreign reporters in China have long faced surveillance, detention and intimidation.
With Carney due at the APEC summit in Shenzhen in 3 months, the reopening highlights both the diplomatic thaw and unresolved questions over what protections Canadian journalists will actually have.