China is delaying the renewal of press cards for at least five journalists working at four U.S. media outlets, an organisation of foreign correspondents said on Monday, making them vulnerable to expulsion in apparent retribution for Washington’s targeting of Chinese reporters working in the United States.
China’s Foreign Ministry responded by saying applications for renewal were being processed and those reporters involved would not have their lives in China “affected in any way.”
“If the U.S. government truly cares about American journalists, it should extend visas for all Chinese journalists as soon as possible, instead of taking journalists from the two countries as hostages for the certain politicians’ political interests,” Mr. Zhao told reporters.
Atlanta-based CNN said its China correspondent was among those given a letter authorising him to continue reporting for the next two months instead of the usual one-year press card.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China, or FCCC, said The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have also been targeted. It did not name the fourth outlet, but said more foreign journalists are expected to receive similar treatment. While the targeted outlets are all American, the journalists involved are of various nationalities.
Mr. Zhao did not say what future actions China might take, but said “all options are on the table, and the U.S. side knows that very well.”
“If the U.S. insists on going down the wrong path and continuously making mistakes, China will have to make the necessary and legitimate responses to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights,” he said.
90-day visas
China’s move comes after the U.S. capped the number of Chinese citizens who could be employed by Chinese media outlets and placed them on 90-day visas.
China first responded in March by expelling reporters from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
