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SCMP Reporter

China has abolished the use of English in dealing with the foreign press.

   A Foreign Ministry spokesman yesterday served notice that official English translations of statements would no longer be provided at twice-weekly press briefings, effective from September.

   'You ask the questions in Chinese - that's what we will do as of September 1,' said the spokesman, Cui Tiankai .

   The Foreign Ministry currently conducts bilingual briefings for the benefit of media from 38 countries represented in Beijing.

    Mr Cui said English would be banned 'in order to improve the working efficiency' of press conferences.

    Ministry officials have privately proposed the measure for months, noting US State Department briefings in Washington are conducted solely in English.

   'Chinese is one of the working languages of the United Nations,' Mr Cui said.

    The Beijing press corps includes more than 80 representatives of news organisations from the US and English-speaking Commonwealth countries, while English remains a second language for most reporters from Europe, Asia and South America.

     Veteran correspondent James Pringle, of The Times of London, said the ban could lead to conflicting interpretations of government statements by reporters, diplomats and others.

  'In diplomacy, the nuance of words is important,' Mr Pringle said. 'There is now an official version of these statements. In the future, there will be as many different translations of statements as there are interpreters.'     Ministry briefings are frequently the only opportunity for foreign news organisations to question representatives of China's central government on domestic and international issues.



Foreign Ministry abolishes use of English at press briefings