The U.S. Embassy in China reacted Wednesday (Nov. 3) to Beijing’s threats that Chinese journalists in the U.S. may be denied visa extensions, calling the Chinese remarks “unacceptable.
The U.S. Embassy statement said, “These threats are unacceptable, inappropriate and misleading. They (China) seek to equate the legitimate and transparent practices of the United States with the politicized bullying of the People’s Republic of China.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on Monday, “Some Chinese journalists were notified last week that their visa extension applications were approved by the U.S. side, valid from August 4 to November 4 this year. In other words, the actual validity of these visas was less than a week, or even three days in some cases, and they had to immediately reapply for visa extensions.”
Wang added that the U.S. also banned Chinese journalists “from engaging in reporting activities” while waiting for their visas to be approved, which puts their work and lives “in great uncertainty.”
In a very stern tone, the spokesman also warned that if the U.S. side did not change its position, “China will certainly take resolute and reciprocal measures. Do not say that China’s words are unpredictable.”
This year, U.S.-China relations have deteriorated rapidly, spilling over into many areas. In addition to trade, technology, education, and cyberattacks, the two sides are increasingly clashing over the media.
In February, China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters from China for using the term “sick man of Asia” in the headline of an opinion piece published by the Journal. Subsequently, the U.S. State Department requested that several Chinese official media in the United States register as “diplomatic missions. Since then, it has reduced the number of Chinese official media from 160 to 100.
In March, China expelled Chinese journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, and demanded information on the operations of the Voice of America and Time Magazine. A total of 17 foreign journalists were expelled in the first half of the year.
China has also dragged its feet on press cards for journalists from some major U.S. media outlets, including Bloomberg News, CNN and the Wall Street Journal.
Bloomberg said the U.S. diplomatic establishment has also repeatedly asked Beijing to allow the expelled U.S. journalists to return to China so that U.S. media can resume reporting in the country and stop threats and harassment of foreign journalists.
A U.S. Embassy spokesman said: “The United States upholds a professional approach in processing these visa applications, while the government of the People’s Republic of China has completely ignored our long-standing and reasonable requests for American journalists working in China.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in September that there was no comparison at all between U.S. restrictions on Chinese propaganda outlets and China’s crackdown on the American free press. He said that any restrictions on U.S. journalists in Beijing will get a “reciprocal” response from Washington.
Pompeo stressed, “We urge the Chinese government to immediately implement its international obligations on freedom of expression, including the right to free speech for journalists.”
For a long time, the treatment of American journalists working in China and Chinese journalists working in the United States has shown a serious disparity. Chinese media send their reporters to work in the United States with almost no restrictions, they are free to travel and interview anywhere in the United States, and the U.S. government never exerts any influence on their work.
However, U.S. journalists in China have been severely restricted by the Chinese government in many areas, including the number of journalists, their visas, and the scope of their activities. In addition to an information blackout, the Chinese government has imposed a number of no-go areas, such as Xinjiang, Tibet, and other places where major news events have occurred.
The Chinese have also interfered with the reporting operations of American journalists through visa controls, interviews, and many other methods. In some cases, they even issue outright warnings, or engage in illegal detentions, or even beatings and detentions. Voice of America reporters have been pushed and shoved and briefly detained by security personnel in the course of coverage. Boehme, the White House deputy national security adviser, worked as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He was beaten by security guards when he was in China to cover the event.
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