US introduces limit on Chinese journalists

CHINA’S foreign ministry warned yesterday that Washington’s decision to reduce the number of personnel permitted to work at the US offices of key Chinese state-run media outlets will “bring serious negative impact and damage” to bilateral relations.

Beijing spokesman, Zhao Lijian, accused the US of having a “Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice”.

The Chinese foreign ministry’s comments came after the Trump administration announced that five Chinese state-run media outlets with US offices must reduce staff by nearly 40 per cent to 100 Chinese nationals by March 13.

The outlets include Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International and China Daily Distribution Corp.

Tensions between the US and China have increased in recent years. The latest issue involving foreign journalists in both countries appears poised to escalate. On Monday, the US cited Beijing’s “increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment, and intimidation” against foreign journalists operating in China in its announcement forcing Chinese state media outlets to cut personnel.

“Our goal is reciprocity,” said Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State. “As we have done in other areas of the Uschina relationship, we seek to establish a long-overdue level playing field.”

In February, China revoked the visas of three Wall Street Journal reporters in Beijing after the paper declined to apologise for a column with the headline, “China is the Real Sick Man of Asia”.