US, China exchange expulsions of journalists in tit-for-tat move

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has revoked the visa of a Chinese national working for state news agency Xinhua in the United States, in an apparent reciprocal act to Beijing’s decision to expel a New York Times reporter.

A person familiar with the matter confirmed the visa had been revoked. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter concerns visa confidentiality. A State Department official confirmed there was a plan to revoke the visa.

The move by the Trump administration follows Beijing’s expulsion of New York Times China correspondent Vivian Wang, apparently over the Taiwanese leader’s participation in a DealBook event in which Wang played no role. It was a rare opportunity for direct U.S. government retaliation against Beijing’s expulsion of American journalists.

The Times, which was first to report the Trump administration’s reciprocal decision, said the newspaper was not asking governments to revoke media credentials or otherwise interfere with a journalist’s work. On Friday, the newspaper issued a statement calling for Wang’s reinstatement as an accredited journalist in China and urging both governments to “reverse this deterioration in journalist access.”

“The Chinese government’s decision to expel Vivian Wang is wrong,” Joseph Kahn, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, said in a statement posted on the Times website. “His expulsion will make it even more difficult for our global audiences to get accurate, independent and in-depth information about the world’s second-largest economy at a critical time.”

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

American media presence in China has already diminished

Wang is leaving China with an already weak U.S. media presence after previous rounds of disputes over journalistic qualifications, leaving several U.S. news agencies with reduced staffing in their Chinese bureaus.

“The number of American media correspondents authorized to work in China has now fallen to an alarming level, at a time when the need for people around the world to understand China is greater than ever,” Kahn wrote.

Beijing moved to expel Wang, the paper’s China correspondent since 2020, after the media group’s DealBook Summit 2025 featured Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te in a recorded interview with host Andrew Ross Sorkin. Sorkin called Taiwan a country, and Lai warned of Beijing’s aggressive behavior in the Taiwan Strait and vowed that “Taiwan will do whatever is necessary to protect itself.”

The Chinese government claims sovereignty over Taiwan, which broke away from the mainland in 1949 after Mao Zedong’s communists won the civil war. At the last summit with President Donald Trump in Beijing in mid-May, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that China and the United States could “collide, even clash” over Taiwan if the issue was not handled properly.

Other Western media are following closely

The ruling against the New York Times also created unease among other Western media outlets that might interview Lai, thereby giving a voice to the self-ruled island, or risk losing their ability to report in China.

All foreign journalists must be accredited by China’s Foreign Ministry to report in China, and Beijing has used the accreditation and visa policy to expel or exclude foreign journalists whose work has irked Chinese leaders or to express displeasure with what Beijing sees as unfavorable or malicious coverage of China.

In 2020, for example, the Chinese government expelled three Wall Street Journal correspondents after the financial newspaper published an opinion piece titled “China is the Real Sick Man of Asia” following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As relations between the United States and China deteriorated, the US State Department designated some major Chinese media groups as “foreign missions” in 2020. Xinhua, for example, is charged by the ruling Chinese Communist Party with serving as a mouthpiece for the party and government, which includes disseminating official information.

Beijing has in turn significantly limited visas for journalists working for American media.

In total, at least 18 foreign journalists working for the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal were expelled in the first half of 2020, according to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China. Many others received short-term visas ranging from one month to three months, according to the group’s annual survey.

The two governments later reached a one-time deal allowing U.S. media outlets to send a small number of correspondents to mainland China. Wang was one of them.

__

A previous headline on this story said the expulsions took place days after Trump’s visit to Beijing. The New York Times says its reporter was expelled from China in February.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos