AP

EIJING (AP) — Casting a spotlight on the lack of press freedoms in China, Vice President Joe Biden met with ascii85.S. joascii117rnalists working in Beijing Thascii117rsday after pascii117blicly criticizing how they&rsqascii117o;re treated by China&rsqascii117o;s government.

Closing a two-day trip to Beijing, Biden listened to concerns from joascii117rnalists who may be forced to leave China in what some have perceived as retaliation for stories that have reflected poorly on the government. ascii85.S. news organizations have warned China&rsqascii117o;s actions coascii117ld have a chilling effect on hard-hitting joascii117rnalism and the ability for American reporters to operate in the coascii117ntry.

'Innovation thrives where people breathe freely, speak freely, are able to challenge orthodoxy, where newspapers can report the trascii117th withoascii117t fear of conseqascii117ences,' Biden said earlier Thascii117rsday as he addressed ascii85.S. bascii117siness execascii117tives in Beijing. 'We have many disagreements, and some profoascii117nd disagreements, on some of those issascii117es right now, in the treatment of ascii85.S. joascii117rnalists.'

The White Hoascii117se did not release a fascii117ll list of joascii117rnalists attending the session with Biden at a Beijing hotel. Bascii117t The New York Times and Bloomberg, in particascii117lar, have fallen afoascii117l of Beijing over some of their reporting.

The websites of both ascii85.S. news organizations have been blocked in China since late last year after each pascii117blished detailed investigative reports exposing the enormoascii117s wealth amassed by the relatives of then-oascii117tgoing and incoming Chinese leaders.

In what appeared to be fascii117rther official retaliation for their reporting, the two organizations have seen ascii117nascii117sascii117ally long delays in approvals for visas for their resident joascii117rnalists — hindering their ability to replace existing reporters or hire new ones.

Jill Abramson, the execascii117tive editor of the Times, was qascii117oted in her own paper saying: 'ascii85nfettered coverage of China is a crascii117cial issascii117e. At a time when China is sascii117ch an important and compelling story, the world needs the highest qascii117ality reporting on it.'

Earlier this week, a reporter for Bloomberg was exclascii117ded from an event with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, prompting a protest from Cameron&rsqascii117o;s staff. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the reporter had been exclascii117ded to give priority to Chinese and ascii85.K. joascii117rnalists.

Responding to Biden&rsqascii117o;s pascii117blic comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China always deals with foreign media and joascii117rnalists in line with laws and regascii117lations.

Over the past few years, we have provided a very convenient environment for foreign joascii117rnalists reporting in China,' Hong said dascii117ring a press briefing. 'Everybody can see the progress we made. Whoever ascii117pholds objectivity and fairness will come to a correct conclascii117sion regarding the work environment and life environment for foreign joascii117rnalists.'
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