3 Newspapers Ask China to Reverse Decision to Expel American Journalists

China’s move was the latest in an escalating diplomatic feud between the Chinese government, led by President Xi Jinping, and the Trump administration. The ouster of the American journalists followed the Trump administration’s decision to limit to 100 the number of Chinese citizens who can work in the United States for five state-run Chinese media organizations that are widely considered propaganda outlets.

Before that, China expelled three Journal reporters last month over a headline, “China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia,” on an opinion column about the country’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The letter from the three publishers emphasized the need for a free flow of information during the coronavirus crisis. “This move — made in retaliation for recent expulsions by the United States government — is one that we would protest under any circumstances,” the publishers wrote. “But it is uniquely damaging and reckless as the world continues the struggle to control this disease, a struggle that will require the free flow of reliable news and information.”

They added, “Even when this crisis passes we believe both countries will continue to benefit from freer access to news and information about the other.”

China has been waging a broader crackdown on foreign correspondents dating roughly to Mr. Xi’s ascension near the beginning of the decade. During that period, foreign outlets have reported on issues that Chinese officials consider sensitive, including camps for Muslims in western China, the suspicious business of some Chinese leaders’ relatives and the government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/business/media/china-journalists-newspapers.html