Beijing, China:
America on Tuesday accused China of “threatening” and “harassing” international journalists after it refused to resume press credentials for a number of staff of American media organisations.
The 2 superpower rivals have restricted reporter visas — with China expelling journalists — as brinkmanship over commerce and tech, Hong Kong and the coronavirus, spills over into the media.
China’s file of “threatening, harassing, and expelling US and different international journalists goes again a long time”, US State Division spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus mentioned in an announcement supplied by the US Embassy in Beijing.
The Chinese language Ministry of International Affairs lately knowledgeable the US embassy in Beijing of recent curbs on international reporters “by denying them press card renewals and refusing to course of pending visa purposes for journalists who had been expelled earlier this 12 months,” she mentioned.
The International Correspondents’ Membership of China (FCCC) on Monday confirmed the motion, saying a minimum of 5 journalists at 4 media teams — together with the Wall Road Journal, CNN and Bloomberg — had been denied new press playing cards.
Extra are anticipated to obtain related remedy in coming weeks, putting additional strain on the already diminished international press corps.
The US has been “working relentlessly” to persuade China to permit US journalists again into the nation, the State Division spokeswoman added.
A file 17 international journalists had been expelled from China within the first half of 2020 alone, the FCCC mentioned.
International journalists are often not allowed to work in China with out legitimate press playing cards, that are additionally a requirement for gaining a residence allow.
Reporters are as an alternative receiving letters that quickly enable them to work utilizing their expired press playing cards, however these “could possibly be revoked at any time”, the FCCC mentioned.
China says the strikes merely mirror curbs positioned on its journalists working within the US — the place Donald Trump’s administration has curtailed the visas of Chinese language reporters to 90 days.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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