China delays credentials for journalists with US media

Bloomberg

Chinese authorities delayed renewing the press credentials of some journalists working for American media outlets, including Bloomberg News, CNN and the Wall Street Journal, in response to the Trump administration limiting visa terms for Chinese reporters in the US.
The journalists in Beijing were told their residence permits will at this stage be extended until November 6, which appears to coincide with the date when the 90-day visas given to Chinese press in the US will need to be renewed. Two non-Americans at Bloomberg News received a letter allowing them to work and stay in the country in lieu of having official press credentials, which in the past were normally good for 12 months.
A Bloomberg spokesperson declined to comment. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) called on Beijing to reverse the move.
“These coercive practices have again turned accredited foreign journalists in China into pawns in a wider diplomatic conflict,” the group said in a statement on Monday. “The FCCC calls on the Chinese government to halt this cycle of tit-for-tat reprisals in what is quickly becoming the darkest year yet for media freedoms.”
The dispute is one of several friction points in an increasingly broad clash between the two political systems. While China’s news organisations are overwhelmingly state-run and subject to strict censorship overseen by the ruling Communist Party, the US’s private news organisations emphasize scrutiny of government actions.
The US has traditionally granted more visas to Chinese media outlets, while China more tightly controls the entrance of foreign journalists. The Trump administration has sought greater parity between the two sides, what it calls “reciprocity.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that visa extension applications for the journalists were being processed and in the meantime “they can continue to live and work here with no problems at all.”
“We would be glad to continue our excellent cooperation with the #US journalists here if the Chinese journalists are treated fairly in the US,” Hua wrote on Twitter.
At a regular news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian accused the US of “kidnapping” journalists and taking “hostages” in the dispute. “For China, all options are on the table,” he said, noting that the US had also refused to rule out any actions.
“If the US truly cares about American journalists in China, it should extend the visas for all Chinese journalists as soon as possible instead of kidnapping Chinese and American journalists out of selfish political purposes,” Zhao said.
Beijing has said the US has expelled more than 60 Chinese media personnel and denied visas to more than 20 others. Meanwhile, the FCCC said the Chinese government had forced a record 17 foreign correspondents to leave in the first half of this year and put at least a dozen more on visas as short as one month.