Foreign media in China enjoy an open environment for their interviews and are free to cover the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news conference on Thursday.

"We welcome media to cover the Beijing Winter Olympics and raise constructive opinions, but oppose distorting facts in the name of so-called freedom of the press and throwing mud at China and the Games," Wang said.

China is a country ruled by law, and its Regulations on News Coverage by Permanent Offices of Foreign Media Organizations and Foreign Journalists have explicit provisions on the guaranteeing of lawful rights and interests of foreign correspondents, he said.

China will continue to guarantee the rights of foreign media's resident offices and foreign correspondents according to law, and facilitate their coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games according to the host city contract, Wang added.

It is taking strict measures to prevent and control COVID-19 and ensure the safety of the Games and people participating in them, he said, adding that compliance with such measures is a prerequisite for reporters covering the Games.

The International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have jointly issued two editions of a playbook that outlines measures to prevent and control COVID-19.

The playbook requires closed-loop management of all those attending the Games, which will separate them from the general public and reduce the risk of the pandemic spreading.

More than 2,500 reporters and photographers have filed applications to cover the Games, Wang said.

The pandemic situation is serious and complicated, creating challenges for news coverage, he said, adding that the organizing committee has consulted the IOC and the IPC and tried its best to help reporters overcome the challenges.

The committee has set up service desks for media at the Main Media Center, Zhangjiakou Mountain Broadcasting Center and 12 competition venues to process interview requests by registered media from around the world, Wang said.

It will also hold joint daily news conferences with the IOC during the Games, and arrange online interviews for reporters who need to conduct interviews outside the closed loop, he added.