BBC China correspondent John Sudworth has moved to Taiwan fearing for his safety amid mounting tensions between Beijing and the UK public broadcaster.
Sudworth told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Wednesday that he and his family had fled Beijing after “massive surveillance, obstruction and intimidation” by Chinese authorities. Sudworth said he was followed on a hasty exit to the airport, “clarifying the real grim reality to reporters here until the very end”.
“We as a Beijing-based family, along with the BBC, decided that it was just too risky to go ahead – which, unfortunately, is precisely the point of that kind of intimidation – and we moved to Taiwan,” he said. “This wasn’t a choice we wanted to make.”
His exit was confirmed on Wednesday by the BBC press office, which tweeted: “John’s work has exposed truths that Chinese authorities refused to share with the world. The BBC prides itself on John’s award-winning coverage during his time in Beijing. “
Our China correspondent @TheJohnSudworth has moved. pic.twitter.com/G1NS0hUUWK
– BBC News Press Team (@BBCNewsPR) March 31, 2021
Sudworth is moving after Chinese authorities questioned the BBC’s coverage of the Uyghur plight in the Xinjiang region and UK media regulator Ofcom revoked the broadcasting license of the state-backed Chinese network CGTN in February. Beijing reciprocated by banning BBC World News. The state-backed Global Times said the station was responsible for a “series of fake reports” about Xinjiang and China’s handling of Covid-19.
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