French reporter's press card declined for speaking for suicide

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Saturday confirmed that China has refused to renew press credentials for a French journalist for her comments regarding terrorism.

Spokesman Lu Kang said Ursula Gauthier had offended the Chinese people with an article published on Nov. 18 in which she overtly voiced support for terrorist activities.

In the article, she blamed government policy in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for terrorist attacks.

Gauthier is a Beijing-based correspondent for French news magazine L'Obs.

Lu said Gauthier failed to apologize to the Chinese people for her wrong words and it is no longer suitable for her to work in China.

China ensures the legal rights of foreign media organizations and journalists covering China stories, but will never tolerate the "freedom" of speaking for terrorism, said the spokesman.