https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56586655 BBC Homepage * Skip to content * Accessibility Help * BBC Account * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * MenuMore Search * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds Close menu BBC News Menu * Home * Coronavirus * Video * World * US & Canada * UK * Business * Tech * Science * Stories * Entertainment & Arts More * Health * In Pictures * Reality Check * World News TV * Newsbeat * Long Reads * Asia * China * India BBC China correspondent John Sudworth moves to Taiwan after threats Published 11 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing media captionThe BBC visits the camps where China's Muslims have their "thoughts transformed" The BBC's Beijing correspondent John Sudworth has left China and moved to Taiwan following pressure and threats from the Chinese authorities. Sudworth, who has won awards for his reporting on the treatment of the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang region, left Beijing with his family. The BBC says it is proud of his reporting and he remains its China correspondent. China has denounced the BBC's coverage of Xinjiang. * Read John Sudworth's investigation into China's 'tainted' cotton * Investigating China's hidden camps in Xinjiang * Pressure and propaganda - the reality of reporting Xinjiang * Wuhan- City of silence Sudworth, who was based in China for nine years, said he moved to Taiwan after it became increasingly difficult to remain in China. media captionThe BBC's John Sudworth says he faced "intensifying attempts to obstruct and harass us wherever we film" He and his family were followed to the airport and into the check-in area by plainclothes police officers. His wife, Yvonne Murray, reports on China for the Irish public broadcaster RTE. Sudworth says he and his team faced surveillance, threats of legal action, obstruction and intimidation wherever they tried to film. His reporting colleagues are still in Beijing, and he says he intends to continue his reporting from Taiwan. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the authorities had not been given prior notice. "Only in recent days when we were faced with the task of renewing Sudworth's press card did we learn that Sudworth left without saying goodbye. After he left the country, he didn't by any means inform the relevant departments nor provide any reason why," Hua Chunying told a news conference in Beijing. John Sudworth in Xinjiang image captionJohn Sudworth (above) and his team were followed and had their footage deleted on a trip to Xinjiang in late 2020 In its statement, the BBC said: "John's reporting has exposed truths the Chinese authorities did not want the world to know." * Explainer: China's Muslim 'crackdown' * Searching for truth in China's 're-education' camps * China denies Muslim children separation campaign The number of international media organisations reporting from China is shrinking. Last year China expelled correspondents for the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, among others. And in September 2020, the last two reporters working in China for Australian media flew home after a five-day diplomatic standoff. The Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) of China says foreign journalists are "being caught up in diplomatic rows out of their control". "Abuse of Sudworth and his colleagues at the BBC forms part of a larger pattern of harassment and intimidation that obstructs the work of foreign correspondents in China and exposes their Chinese news assistants to growing pressure," the FCC said in a statement posted on Twitter. Related Topics * Media * China * Taiwan More on this story * Pressure and propaganda - the reality of reporting Xinjiang Published 15 January * Australian reporters leave China 'amid standoff' Published 8 September 2020 Top Stories * Floyd's pleas with officers shown in bodycam film George Floyd can be heard telling officers, "I'm not a bad guy" in newly revealed bodycam footage. Published 36 minutes ago * 'I stay up at night apologising to George' Published 2 hours ago * New bodycam footage of George Floyd's arrest. VideoNew bodycam footage of George Floyd's arrest Published 1 hour ago Features * The cost of speaking up against China Qelbinur Sedik * India farmers: We don't want to die away from home. VideoIndia farmers: We don't want to die away from home An Indian elderly woman farmer from Haryana listens to speeches at the protest sites of Tikri border (Delhi-Haryana Border) during ongoing protest against the Centre's new agricultural laws. * Oscars 2021: The female directors tackling tough truths Kaouther Ben Hania and Jasmila Zbanic' * Beware the return of the Iberian wolf, say farmers Iberian wolves from the Iberian Wolf Centre in Robledo de Sanabria on February 21, 2020 in Zamora, Spain * 'Don't my birth children have a right to know I'm dying?' woman reading letter * The monks divided over Myanmar's coup. VideoThe monks divided over Myanmar's coup Two monks on opposing sides of the Myanmar protests * Libya's city of ghosts Abdel Manaam Mahmoud buries his brother Esmail * China sets sights on Middle East with Iran co-operation deal Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif bump elbows during the signing ceremony of a 25-year co-operation agreement in Tehran, Iran (27 March 2021) * Japan's cherry blossom is 'earliest for 1,200 years' Couple pose for pictures with cherry blossoms in full bloom (Tokyo, 28 March) Elsewhere on the BBC * Football phrases 15 sayings from around the world football being kicked on a field - Vauxhall image blurred in the background. Most Read * Floyd's pleas with officers shown in bodycam film1 * PwC says start when you like, leave when you like2 * The cost of speaking up against China3 * 'I stay up at night apologising to George'4 * BBC's John Sudworth leaves China after threats5 * 'One who causes fear' dinosaur found in Argentina6 * Biden unveils 'once in a generation' spending plan7 * Harry and Meghan were married at Windsor - Welby8 * French schools to close under third Covid lockdown9 * Is Canada turning the corner with Covid?10 BBC News Services * On your mobile * On smart speakers * Get news alerts * Contact BBC News * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds * Terms of Use * About the BBC * Privacy Policy * Cookies * Accessibility Help * Parental Guidance * Contact the BBC * Get Personalised Newsletters * Why you can trust the BBC * Advertise with us * AdChoices / Do Not Sell My Info (c) 2021 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.