David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, said Monday that China Central Television, China News Service, People Daily and the Global Times will have to report details of their U.S. staff and their ownership of U.S. real estate. . State Department.
“These entities are not independent journalistic organizations; they are effectively controlled by the Chinese Communist Party … also known as propaganda sites,” Stilwell said. “Furthermore … our action will increase transparency in information control, not only among state propaganda outlets, but also among legitimate journalists and news gatherings in China.”
This is the second time that the United States has designated the Chinese media as foreign entities, requiring them to abide by the rules and regulations covering diplomatic missions.
The labels came about when U.S.-China ties were merged because of trade, the future of Hong Kong, and the coronavirus pandemic. With the general election just over four months away, President Donald Trump’s re-election looks uncertain, and the global economy is in turmoil because of the virus, there is pressure in the White House and among Republican Republican allies to shift the blame to China and highlight its failure in rapid and transparent action to prevent the spread of the virus into a global pandemic.
“While the Communist Party of China has always strictly controlled Chinese state agencies, its control has been tightened in recent years, decades, especially under‘ Xi, ’” Stilwell said.
“These people are doing more than just propaganda, right, and to understand what exactly is, we need to know who they are. It’s an understanding of what’s going on in your country; we’re a free nation,” Stilwell added.
China has expelled journalists from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
Asked about the effectiveness of this effort, given China’s retaliation for expelling U.S. journalists when the State Department last took this action, Stilwell said: “The Chinese government is doing what it’s doing. You can’t say they’re doing it specifically because we’re doing it to them. it’s just an excuse. “
While Stilwell and State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus stressed that the Chinese media lacked freedom, which would contrast favorably with the American media, Ortagus would not allow the question of Bolton’s book, which also portrays Trump as an attempt to seduce Xi’s favor.
CNN’s Vivian Salama contributed to this report.
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