China steps up visa threats against foreign reporters: media group

China is threatening to strip journalists of their visas as a weapon to intimidate foreign media "like never before", a press group said yesterday, following the expulsion of three reporters last month.

In its annual report, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) said it also feared Beijing was preparing to kick out more reporters, after two journalists were this year given working visas for only a month.

Press credentials valid for half a year or less were issued to at least 12 correspondents -- more than double the number the previous year, in what the FCCC called a record.

Resident journalist visas, which are mandatory for all foreign media based in mainland China, are typically issued for one year.

"Chinese authorities are using visas as weapons against the foreign press like never before," the report warned, flagging a "continued decline in reporting conditions".

Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013, China has forced out nine foreign journalists, either through outright expulsion or by non-renewal of visas, the FCCC said.

The report also found that 82 percent of journalists surveyed said they had experienced interference, harassment or violence while reporting in China over the past year.

The number of correspondents saying they faced difficulty renewing their credentials was nearly double the figure last year, and almost all believed this was related to their reporting.

When asked about the press group's report, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular briefing Monday that China has "never recognised the organisation".