Please see following comment of Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on the Regular Press Conference, September 7, 2020
The Paper: According to the New York Times and CNN, the US State Department Spokesperson said in a statement that the Chinese Foreign Ministry had recently told the US Embassy in Beijing that it was denying press card renewals to US journalists in China, as a reciprocal response to the US administration’s treatment of Chinese journalists. Can you confirm that? Will such measures further escalate the media issue between the two sides?
Zhao Lijian: What the US State Department Spokesperson said has no truth in it at all and is meant to confound the public.
The fact is that the press card renewals for CNN and other US media journalists are being processed. Before they get the renewal, their reporting and life in China will not be affected in any way. We’ve already told this fact to the US side.
Over some time, the US has launched one round of political suppression after another against Chinese media, reaching a state of hysteria. Since 2018, the US has delayed and even denied visas of about 30 US-based Chinese journalists, forced some Chinese media outlets to register as “foreign agents” and “foreign missions”, in effect expelled 60 Chinese journalists, and then limited visas for all Chinese journalists to a maximum 90-day stay. The visas of these Chinese journalists expired on August 6, and they have long ago applied for visa extension as required. But the US side hasn’t granted visa extension to any of them, placing their work and life in enormous uncertainties.
The relevant actions on the US side have severely disrupted Chinese media’s normal reporting activities in the US, undermined their reputation and obstructed cultural and people-to-people exchange between the two sides.
A self-proclaimed champion of freedom of the press, the US has treated Chinese media in a discriminatory manner and even gone so far as to use hijack journalists as hostages to pressure the Chinese side. This fully reveals the hypocrisy of its so-called freedom of the press and is double-standards and hegemony at full display.
Despite all this, the Chinese side always says that we are willing to resolve the issue concerning journalists on the basis of equality and mutual respect and has stayed in communication and negotiations with the US side. To show our sincerity, even though the US has indiscriminately limited the visas of US-based Chinese journalists to three months, the Chinese side remains restrained and has not yet implemented relevant countermeasures. It has all along extended visas for US journalists as usual and provided convenience for their reporting. Besides, even after the US side expelled over 60 Chinese journalists and refused to extend visas for over 20 Chinese journalists, the Chinese side hasn’t expelled an equivalent number of US journalists. However, during the negotiations, the US side has been unreasonable. It refused to acknowledge the Chinese side’s normal and reasonable concerns and requests, and threatened not to extend Chinese journalists’ visas. The US wants to exert extreme pressure on the Chinese side by taking Chinese journalists as “hostages”. Don’t expect China to swallow this.
I have to point out that US resident journalists in China are aware of the above-mentioned facts and they don’t agree with the US government in oppressing Chinese media for political purposes, waging a “war of media” and using media of the two countries as pawns in a game. If the US does care about its journalists, it should extend visas for Chinese journalists as soon as possible rather than hijack this issue to serve the political interests of certain politicians.
We once again urge the US to meet China halfway, show sincerity and respond to the Chinese side’s legitimate and reasonable requests in accordance with the principle of mutual respect, equality and reciprocity. In particular, it should extend the visas for all US-based Chinese journalists at an early date. For the Chinese side, all options are on the table, and the US side knows that very clearly. If the US is bent on moving further down the wrong path, China is compelled to make necessary and legitimate reactions to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.
Global Times: The US Department of State retweeted on September 5 the following from Secretary Pompeo and Under Secretary Krach: “You’re seeing the entire world begin to unite around the central understanding that the Chinese Communist Party simply is going to refuse to compete in a fair, reciprocal, transparent way”; “The CCP is trying to leverage 5G-enabled technology to create and export George Orwell’s version of “1984” into the 21st century…We call on all freedom-loving nations and companies to join The Clean Network.” Do you have a response?
Zhao Lijian: This is the latest example of a handful of US politicians resorting to diplomacy of “We lied. We cheated. We stole”. By “the entire world”, they are perhaps referring to the US alone. The so-called “central understanding” can only mean anything if the word “China” is changed to “some American politicians”. The US has pulled out of a string of international treaties and organizations and even sanctioned staff of an international institution. It started a trade war. It wantonly suppresses foreign hi-tech companies, even clutching an unsuspecting female Chinese business executive with trumped-up charges. With intimidation and coercion, it is working on the so-called “clean network”. Through such programs as PRISM, Equation Group, Echelon, it has forged an empire of spying, tapping and hacking. The US is covered in mud all over and is in no position to criticize others. As facts have proven, it is exactly the US that refuses to compete in a fair, reciprocal, transparent way and leverages its advantages to create and export George Orwell’s version of “1984” into the 21st century. Certain American politicians are working with concrete actions to destroy and terminate the spirit of free market, competitive neutrality, rule of law and international rules. The international community should all stand against such regressive behavior.
Associated Press of Pakistan: Prime Minister Imran Khan said in an interview that Pakistan’s economic future is now linked to China and the bilateral relations between Islamabad and Beijing are “better than ever before.” He also said that China’s growth rate was faster than any other country in the world, and Pakistan can benefit from the manner in which China has developed and has lifted its people out of poverty. He also refuted rumors about attempts to renegotiate CPEC cooperation terms with China. What’s your comment?
Zhao Lijian: China appreciates Prime Minister Imran Khan’s positive comments on China-Pakistan relations.
As all-weather strategic cooperative partners, China and Pakistan always enjoy mutual trust and support. This year, after standing the test of COVID-19, China-Pakistan relations have become even stronger with greater mutual trust, cooperation and friendship. The CPEC Authority, an important pilot project of BRI cooperation and a flagship for bilateral cooperation, has registered new progress against all odds. China stands ready to work together with Pakistan to advance cooperation in all sectors and forge a closer community with a shared future in a new era to bring more benefits for the two peoples.
