The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s announcement comes amid the trade row between Washington and Beijing, with China vowing to retaliate against the United States for imposing tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry hopes that the United States will not create obstacles for its media in the country, ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Wednesday, amid reports that Washington wants several Chinese media to register as “foreign agents.”
“As far as I know, the US and China have had contacts on this issue. We hope that the relevant parties will provide favorable conditions for the normal operation of media instead of creating obstacles,” Geng said, commenting on the US media reports.
On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Justice had ordered China’s Xinhua news agency and the CGTN broadcaster to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
In November 2017, the US Justice Department forced Russia’s RT America and Sputnik radio’s partner Reston Translator to register under FARA. A few months later, the department also ordered RIA Global, which produces content for the Sputnik news agency, to also register as a “foreign agent.”