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US-China relations
China

US designates six Chinese media outlets as foreign missions

  • Under the Foreign Missions Act, employees of the outlets working in America will have to register as foreign agents with the US government
  • The outlets are Yicai Global, Jiefang Daily, Xinmin Evening News, Social Sciences in China Press, Beijing Review and Economic Daily

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a press conference in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Jacob Fromerin Washington

The US State Department designated six Chinese media outlets as agents of China’s government, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday, targeting the US operations of Yicai Global, Jiefang Daily, Xinmin Evening News, Social Sciences in China Press, Beijing Review and Economic Daily.

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Under the Foreign Missions Act, employees of the outlets working in America will have to register as foreign agents with the US government, just as employees of foreign embassies are required to do.

“We simply want to ensure that American people, consumers of information, can differentiate between news written by a free press and propaganda distributed by the Chinese Communist Party itself,” Pompeo said. “Not the same thing.”

The announcement comes after the State Department designated nine other Chinese media entities earlier this year, including Beijing’s flagship, Communist Party-controlled outlets People’s Daily, China Global Television Network, China Daily and Xinhua News Agency.

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US designates six Chinese media outlets as foreign missions

US designates six Chinese media outlets as foreign missions
US-China relations have worsened in recent months as the two countries continue to feud over trade, human rights and the coronavirus pandemic.
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