China US Photo: GT

The US' designation of four more Chinese media as "foreign missions" is a brutal suppression of the normal work and legitimate rights of the Chinese media and journalists, the All-China Journalists Association said, urging the US to correct its mistakes. 

In a statement issued on Monday, the association expressed its strong opposition over the move to designate major Chinese media outlets as foreign missions, calling it a "brutal suppression." Such a move will severely interfere with the Chinese media outlets' normal coverage in the US, it said.

  The US State Department last week said it was listing four more media outlets - China Central Television, China News Service, People's Daily and Global Times - as foreign missions rather than media outlets in the US. The Xinhua News Agency, CGTN, China Radio International, China Daily, and Hai Tian Development USA were listed as "foreign missions" in February. 

The US government claims to support "press freedom," but is afraid of reports by Chinese media, and wantonly interferes with reports of journalists from various countries on the current anti-racial discrimination protests in the US, fully revealing its hypocrisy over the press freedom that the US advocates, the association said.

The association called for the US government to abandon its Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, and cease its allegations and political suppression of Chinese media and reporters.

The US Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on May 8, saying that the visa stay period for Chinese journalists will not exceed 90 days. In contrast, the validity period for most US journalists' press cards and residence certificates in China is valid for one year. 

"Shortening the visa stay period of Chinese media journalists in the US to 90 days is truly unfair," the All-China Journalists Association said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian had said China will have to make a necessary legitimate response if the US does not correct its wrong practices.