China says shorter US visa for mainland journalists risks ‘media warfare’
Chinese embassy in Washington also calls on US to end ‘unwarranted harassment and repatriation’ of Chinese students
China’s embassy in the United States has warned against a new round of “media warfare” as Washington moves to cut the duration of visas for Chinese journalists.
“We do not want to see a new round of ‘media warfare’ between the two countries and urge the US to refrain from taking this erroneous move,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said on Tuesday.
As part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration, the US Department of Homeland Security proposed in August to cap the stay of mainland Chinese journalists in the United States at 90 days.
Reporters from the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau would be limited to 240 days, the same length of stay that would apply to the rest of the world, with the option of an extension.
In the past, visas reflected the holder’s period of employment or the length of an assignment.
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Liu called the policy “a discriminatory step” that marked a step back from prior commitments by the US side.