China calls on U.S. to guarantee rights of Chinese media workers
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the U.S. should safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese journalists working and living there and take concrete steps to implement the consensus reached with China on this issue, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Xinhua.
Mao made the remarks at a regular news briefing following a U.S. State Department spokesperson, who claimed that China does not ensure U.S. journalists the same rights that it expects U.S. authorities to grant to journalists working for Chinese media outlets.
Mao said that China’s concern is about reciprocal treatment, and that the U.S. initiated the media issue.
Since the two sides reached three points of common understanding, China had fully followed through on them, including providing U.S. journalists with visa facilitation to report from China, she said.
She stated that the fundamental reporting rights of Chinese journalists in the United States had been significantly limited.
Almost no Chinese journalist has been given the opportunity to provide on-the-ground coverage at the White House. Their visas and residence permits are frequently delayed without valid reasons, often forcing many to return to China. Mao states that applications from Chinese journalists for short-term reporting assignments in the U.S. are rarely approved.
The U.S. emphasizes freedom of speech, but Chinese media in the U.S. are labeled as "foreign agent" and "foreign mission," she noted.
Earlier, it was reported that the White House Correspondents’ Dinner had been rescheduled to July after a shooting disruption.
