The Chinese-American media war escalated again, with Beijing demanding that some American journalist of the New York Times 》、《The Wall Street Journal 》、《Washington Post, the three major US news media, return their journalist certificates and refrain from continuing their journalist work in China, including Hong Kong and Macao.
On March 17, China suddenly announced at night that it would take countermeasures against five U.S. media in retaliation for the U.S.`s recent decision to list Chinese media organizations as foreign missions and limit the number of people in the United States.
At present, it is not clear that the total number of U.S. journalist in China expelled by China, but estimated at about 10.
The New York Times 》、《The Wall Street Journal 》、《Washington Post will lose several people journalist, whether the three agencies can send journalist to fill vacancies is unclear. But it is widely estimated that many of them have years of Chinese interview experience, which is bound to affect the ability of these media to report to China.
Measures announced by China include:
- Ask VOA, New York Times 》、《The Wall Street Journal 》、《Washington Post and Time Weekly, the five American media branches in China, to declare to China written materials such as all staff, financial financial affairs, operations and information on real property owned in China;
- The New York Times 》、《The Wall Street Journal 》、《Washington Post is required to declare the list to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department of China within end of 2020 and to return the journalist card to China`s Information Department within 4 days from now and within 10 days.
- China will take reciprocal measures against U.S. journalist regarding discriminatory restrictions on visas, administrative censorship, interviews, etc.
China`s decisions are aimed at retaliating against the government "of the United States for imposing unwarranted restrictions on the normal news reporting activities of Chinese media agencies and personnel stationed in the United States and for making unreasonable and unreasonable efforts to escalate discrimination and political repression against the Chinese media ."
The confrontation between China and the United States has not eased by the new outbreak, but has increased, from the origin of the virus to fake news and stigma
The alleged discrimination and political repression in China included a request by the United States Department of Justice in December 2018 to Chinese official media, China Global Television Network (China Global TV Network, CGTN), to register as a "foreign agent "(foreign agent).
Moreover, in February 2020, the United States classified five Chinese media organizations in the United States as "foreign missions ", restricting the number of people to Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network (CGTN), China International Radio (CRI), China Daily and Haitian Development Corporation of the United States, the publisher of People`s Daily.
The, in china`s view, is a disguised mass expulsion of chinese media journalist. as a preliminary response, china has expelled "three The Wall Street Journal 》 resident in china journalist, but at the time china made argued that the newspaper published a commentary essay chapter entitled" china is a real asian sick man "(China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia) and the The Wall Street Journal 》 refused to apologize.
China, after expelling part of the journalist of the three United States media, continued to stress that it welcomed the fact that the media and journalist of all countries were conducting interviews and reporting in China in accordance with the law and would continue to provide convenience and assistance, but opposed "ideological prejudice against China and the creation of false news through so-called freedom of the press ".
The suspension of journalist cards due before the end of the year could affect many of the journalist journalist. of the three media outlets, since China usually gives only one-year visas and journalist certificates to foreign residents
American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regrets China`s decision and hopes Beijing will reconsider it. He said China`s move at a time of global new crown virus crisis would deprive the world information about China.
The three U.S. media, journalist by China`s expulsion, have previously reported on sensitive issues related to China, including Xinjiang Uighur education camps, hidden wealth issues involving Chinese leaders, including Xi Jinping relatives.
Observers generally believe that banning the three U.S. media from working in Hong Kong and Macao after journalist leave the mainland of China is a clear of further erosion of press freedom in the two SARs.
Prior to China`s announcement to expel U.S. correspondents in China, China and the United States pitted each other against each other on the origin of the new crown virus. The confrontation is the tension between the two countries after the first phase of the Sino-US trade war.
Controversy over the origin of the new coronavirus
The media war between China and the United States, as well as the public opinion war around the source of the new crown virus, has been uneven and rising again and again.
The day before China announced the new rules, US President Trump called the new coronavirus a "Chinese virus" in Twitter. The term drew a wave of criticism of his alleged racial discrimination.
Trump admitted on the 17th that he intended to use the term. At a briefing at the White House, when asked why the word "Chinese virus" was used, he said :" China propagated the wrong message that our army brought the virus. Rather than argue, I would call it from its source, it does come from China. "
journalist asked what Trump think of the stigma attached to addressing infectious disease viruses in place names. He replied ," I don`t think so. I believen`t think it`s stigma to say that we army brought this virus. "
Trump refers to an earlier controversial statement by chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaker zhao lijian, who said at a Twitter last week that the virus could have been brought to wuhan by u forces.
China-US media war timeline
February 3:" China is the real "sick man of Asia" in The Wall Street Journal 》 essay chapter of the commentary by Walter Russell Mead (Walter Russell Mead), Professor of Bud College in the United States.
18 February: The United States identified five Chinese official media organizations as "foreign missions" and as part of Chinese government.
Feb .19: China revoked the journalist certificates of three U.S. journalist in The Wall Street Journal and limited their departure within five days.
March 3: the u. s.declared an employee limit for five u. s.official media outlets, demanding a cut of 60 chinese employees.
March 12: chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaker zhao lijian said in a Twitter that the new coronavirus may have been brought to wuhan by u.s. forces.
13 March: The State Department summoned Cui Tiankai, China`s ambassador to the United States, to protest. Zhao Lijian`s remarks
March 16: president of the united states Trump on the Twitter called the new coronavirus "chinese virus ."
March 17: beijing has asked some american journalist from three american media to hand in their journalist certificates and will not be able to do journalist work in mainland china, hong kong and macao in the future. Five American media need to report personnel, financial and other information.
