A senior Beijing official said Sunday that the attempt of certain people to spread the unrest in the Middles East and North Africa to China in the form of "street politics" is impossible to succeed in this Chinese capital.
"Certain people from overseas are using the Internet to instigate illegal rallies in China and attempt to spread the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa to China and play the so-called 'street politics'," said Wang Hui, director of the Information Office of Beijing Municipal Government, at a press conference.
"But sober-minded people can see that they have chosen the wrong place. Such things will not happen in Beijing," she said while briefing reporters on the public security situation in Beijing on the sideline of the nation's ongoing annual parliament session.
She said police are looking into a case that a foreign reporter was allegedly assaulted in downtown Beijing last week.
"The municipal government pays great attention to this case, which we are unwilling to see," she said.
"Foreign journalists are welcome to do reporting in Beijing and present the international community a true image of China. We will offer assistance in this regard," said Li Honghai, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, at the press conference.
He called on journalists to abide by relevant laws and regulations. "Journalists are supposed to cover news but not make news," he said.
Beijing government has required that journalists submit applications first before reporting in certain downtown areas in the capital.
The local regulation is in line with the regulation issued by the State Council Information Office, and "it is the detailed clarification" of the national ordinance, he said.