China urges U.S. to ensure rights of Chinese reporters based in U.S.

BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) — The United States should ensure the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese journalists working and living there and take concrete steps to implement common positions reached with China on the matter, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday.

Mao made the remarks at a regular news briefing after a U.S. State Department spokesperson claimed China did not guarantee U.S. journalists the same rights that it is expecting from U.S. authorities for those attached to Chinese media outlets.

“The U.S. side talks about reciprocal treatment, and that is exactly China’s concern. It is the U.S. side that started the media issue,” Mao said.

Since the two sides reached three common points of understanding, the Chinese side had fully followed through on these, which included giving U.S. journalists visa facilitation to report from China, she said.

In contrast, basic reporting rights of Chinese journalists stationed in the United States had been severely restricted, she said.

Almost no Chinese journalist has been granted the opportunity for on-the-ground coverage at the White House. Their visas and residence permits are often delayed for no justifiable reason, while many have been forced to return to China. Chinese journalists’ applications for short-term reporting assignments in the United States are rarely approved, according to Mao.

The U.S. side talks about freedom of speech, yet Chinese media in the U.S. are politically labeled with the tags “foreign agent” and “foreign mission,” she added.