In row with America, China halts renewal of US scribes’ press cards

BEIJING: China has held off renewing the expiring press credentials of journalists at US media outlets, including Bloomberg, CNN and The Wall Street Journal, the news organisations reported, amid a tussle with the US over journalist visas.

The move comes as Chinese journalists in the US wait for their lapsed work visas to be renewed. The Chinese journalists have been allowed to stay in the US during a 90-day grace period that expires in early November, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Wall Street Journal’s Jeremy Page, who is British, as well as American CNN reporter David Culver and two non-American Bloomberg journalists were issued letters allowing them to continue working in China with their expired press credentials for about two months, the outlets reported. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday on Twitter that “we would be glad to continue our excellent cooperation with the US journalists here if Chinese journalists are treated fairly in the US”

“#CNN journalist and a few other US journalists’ visa extension applications are being processed, during which they can continue to live and work here with no problems at all,” she added.

The US state department said China’s foreign ministry had recently informed the US embassy it intended to further limit access for foreign journalists by denying press card renewals and refusing to process pending visa applications for those expelled earlier this year.

“The United States is of course troubled that these proposed actions... will worsen the reporting environment in China,” said spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus.