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China says Wall Street Journal ‘admitted its mistake’ over ‘sick man of Asia’ headline
- But newspaper has not formally apologised, foreign ministry spokesman says
- Official also questions why US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo continues to defend publication
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China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that The Wall Street Journal had “admitted its mistakes” but not formally apologised for a controversial headline on an opinion piece that Beijing cited as the reason for expelling three of the newspaper’s correspondents from the country.
Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian questioned the paper’s political motives and said it had yet to hold any individuals responsible for the headline, “China is the Real Sick Man of Asia”, on a February 3 column about the novel coronavirus outbreak.
In an unprecedented move that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned as a restriction of free speech, Beijing last week revoked the reporters’ press credentials in response to what it described as the “racially discriminatory” headline.
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“The Wall Street Journal has already admitted its mistake and engaged in self-reflection, so why did Pompeo ignore international public opinion and continuously cheer for this paper, and criticise the Chinese side?” Zhao said.
“This makes one wonder, is The Wall Street Journal an agent for the US state department?”
Dow Jones, which publishes The Wall Street Journal, on Wednesday declined to comment on whether it had had any further correspondence with the Chinese government on the issue.
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