BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2020) Beijing demanded that four US media outlets operating in China provide all information about their employees and activities within a week in response to "political pressure" imposed on Chinese media working in the United States, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a briefing on Wednesday.
The measure was taken after the US State Department last week designated another four Chinese media organizations � China Central Television, China News Service, the People's Daily, and the Global Times � as foreign missions in an action that will force them to adhere to new requirements. According to Washington, these media organizations are "substantially owned or effectively controlled" by a foreign government.
"The Chinese side announces that it requires the Associated Press news agency, the United Press International news agence, CBS broadcaster and National Public Radio broadcaster to provide written documents to the Chinese side about all employees working in China, finance, business and real estate within seven days," Zhao said.
The diplomat noted that these measures taken by Beijing were a necessary response to unreasonable political pressure from the United States regarding the Chinese media.
"These actions of the United States are filled with Cold War mindset and ideological prejudice, and seriously interfere with the normal activities of the Chinese media ... The Chinese side calls on the United States to immediately correct its erroneous actions and stop exerting political pressure on the Chinese media," the spokesman added.
Chinese media have reported, citing the All-China Journalists Association, that the US move to designate the outlets as foreign missions was an act of "brutal suppression."
