MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th August, 2020) China has prepared for a worst-case scenario, in which all Chinese journalists will have to leave the United States amid the ongoing row, and is ready to take retaliatory measures concerning US journalists based in Hong Kong, Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Chinese official Global Times newspaper, said on Tuesday.
"From what I know, given that the US side hasn't renewed visa of Chinese journalists, Chinese side has prepared for the worst scenario that all Chinese journalists have to leave the US. If that's the case, Chinese side will retaliate, including targeting US journalists based in HK," Hu wrote on Twitter.
The United States has repeatedly accused China of mishandling and covering up the coronavirus outbreak at its initial stages, as well as censoring news related to the pandemic. In February, Washington designated as foreign missions a number of Chinese state media that led to forcing out of about 60 Chinese reporters. Washington also required the country's media outlets to notify the State Department of their current personnel and real property holdings in the United States.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in March that journalists from key US outlets � New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post � must hand in their press credentials in response to the US decision to reduce the Chinese media outlets personnel in the United States.
