“The NGOs were consulted beforehand by the French public authorities,” assures the deputy director general of Reporters Without Borders

Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013, the working conditions of journalists in China have deteriorated considerably. In total, 199 journalists are currently in detention in the country. For the sake of human rights, is it legitimate to invite the Chinese president? “I think it is completely legitimate to invite the president of a great power like China”says Thibaud Bruttin, deputy to the director general of RSF.

“Everyone plays their role”

However, issues of press freedom and human rights should not be “go under the red carpet”, he assures. He therefore expects Emmanuel Macron to raise these issues with his Chinese counterpart and plead their case, “regardless of the jokes and the protocol”judge Thibaud Bruttin, deputy to the director general of RSF. “In this type of public meeting (..) the NGOs were consulted beforehand by the French public authorities, they will be consulted at the end of the meeting. So we must know that everyone plays their role”, he adds.