Chinese authorities detain Bloomberg News staff member

Chinese authorities have detained Haze Fan, a Chinese national and Bloomberg News staff member working for their Beijing bureau, on suspicion of national security endangerment, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

The big picture: Chinese citizens working for Western media companies have been warned by officials to "watch their step," according to the Washington Post. Western media companies are facing worsening conditions in China, and many American journalists have been expelled from the country.

Earlier this year, after the U.S. State Department imposed strict limits for Chinese nationals in the U.S. on journalist visas, Beijing expelled several U.S. correspondents from China, reducing global visibility into China at a critical time, as Axios' Bethany Allen Ebrahimian reported.

The state of play: Bloomberg said Fan was last in contact with editors on Monday, but was later seen being escorted out from her apartment building by "plain clothes security officials."

Bloomberg received confirmation on Thursday that Fan is being held on "suspicion of participating in activities endangering national security." The company had been in contact with Chinese government officials since Monday to receive information on Fan's whereabouts.

Fan began working for Bloomberg in 2017 and was previously with CNBC, CBS News, Al Jazeera and Thomson Reuters. She was focusing on China business topics, not political coverage, per WaPo. According to Bloomberg, Chinese nationals are only allowed to work as news assistants for foreign news bureaus in China and cannot pursue independent reporting.

What they're saying: "Chinese citizen Ms. Fan has been detained by the Beijing National Security Bureau according to relevant Chinese law on suspicion of engaging in criminal activities that jeopardize national security," Chinese authorities said.

"The case is currently under investigation. Ms. Fan’s legitimate rights have been fully ensured and her family has been notified," they continued.

https://www.axios.com/china-government-bloomberg-news-arrest-journalist-5016b770-6ece-476d-a108-653a0667ece9.html

>>12001797

>>12001992

• CA SB277

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Senate_Bill_277

> SB277 is a California law that removed personal belief as a reason for an exemption from the vaccination requirements for entry to private or public elementary or secondary schools in California

Intimidation tactics

• Someone picked her lock, disarmed alarm system with master code

• 3:45am in morning someone entered

• 3:46am hallway monitor sensor went off

• 3:48am dining room window opened and closed

• 3:49am left through front door

Spoke to intimidation experts

• probably tapped, listening to what she says

• opening back window for future visits (unlocked)

• before she left (for Sac), windows double-locked

Didn't feel comfortable sleeping in her house

Security expert convinced house tapped

Phones, text messages, computer

• Nothing taken in the break-in

Computer hidden above microwave

2 days later: the computer was moved to the middle of the kitchen floor

Decided to get out of town, left a couple wks

• Ladder open above door looking into br window

• Message: we are watching you

• Happened the night before she came back

• 2 days later: buddha on garage floor, moved from dog cage (no way it could have fallen)

• Pictures knocked over

2d later: noticed through kitchen window, a duck on her table (never saw before)

• On her phone, people asking about where she is staying, she said "not staying at my house I feel like a sitting duck" - they left a duck as a clear message

• Intimidation is quite intimidating

• "I'm not going to be silenced, these are important issues and we really need to expose what is going on about mandatory vaccination bills. It has nothing to do with public health, it is all about profit. We may have lost the battle but we still have a war to win. Hopefully by documenting these intimidation tactics they won't be able to get away with it in the future." -Brandy Vaughn