China expels American journalists from 3 US newspapers: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post

 China expels American journalists from 3 US newspapers: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journaland The Washington Post 

• Beijing also declares 5 US media outlets to be foreign government functionaries, calling them agencies controlled by Washington
• ‘The US approach to the Chinese media is based on a Cold War mentality and ideological bias,’ Foreign Ministry says

Cissy Zhou

Published: 1:06am, 18 Mar, 2020

Reporters ask questions at a press conference, held by the State Council Information Office, in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was revoking the press credentials for American journalists from three newspapers, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, requiring them to return their media passes within 10 days and essentially expelling them from the country.

Beijing also declared five US media outlets – Voice of America, The Times, The Journal, The Post and Time magazine – to be foreign government functionaries, identifying them as agencies controlled by Washington.

The move is a fierce retaliation against the Trump administration's labelling on five Chinese state media as “foreign missions” last month. It also requires staff from the five US news organisations to report their personal, financial and property information to Chinese authorities.

The American journalists must return their press cards to Foreign Ministry within 10 days, and they will then be barred from working as journalists in China, including Hong Kong and Macau.