The Department of Homeland Security on Friday announced new visa restrictions for Chinese journalists as tensions between Washington and Beijing heighten.
Chinese journalists that work for non-American media outlets must apply for visas in 90-day increments. The journalists were previously allowed to apply for open-ended visas as part of their work requirements.
The move is considered to be retaliation for the Chinese regime's decision back in March to kick The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times from coverage inside the country.
"The expulsion came in response to an announcement from American officials that only 100 Chinese workers employed by five state-controlled Chinese news organizations could work in the United States, down from 160," The Hill reported.
It is said that American journalists have had their visas cut shorter and shorter after publishing articles critical of the regime.
“Based on the treatment by the [People’s Republic of China (PRC)] of foreign journalists, including U.S. citizens, DHS has determined that the PRC is not treating journalists in a manner that admitting I visa holders visa holders for the duration of status is sufficiently reciprocal to the treatment accorded by the PRC to U.S. journalists or in alignment with U.S. foreign policy,” DHS said in its memo. "Information received from the Department of State, as well as open source information, demonstrates a suppression of independent journalism in the PRC, including an increasing lack of transparency and consistency in the admission periods granted to foreign journalists, including U.S. journalists."
The Trump administration has continually held China's feet to the fire over the Wuhan coronavirus. China failed to alert the world about the virus. Instead, they spent almost a week covering up the virus. The World Health Organization even went to bat for China, claiming the virus was not transmitted from human-to-human. The White House believes the virus started in a lab in Wuhan, although China has completely denied the claim.
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