Beijing: China and the US have agreed to facilitate restrictions on their respective media workers in the midst of a slight easing of tension between the two parties.
China’s official newspaper on Wednesday said the agreement was reached in front of the virtual summit Tuesday between Chinese leaders XI Jinping and US President Joe Biden.
Under the agreement, the US will publish a one-year multi-entry visa to Chinese media workers and will immediately begin the process to solve the problem of “status duration”, said China Daily.
China will reply by giving the same treatment to US journalists as soon as the US policy applies, and both parties will issue a media visa for new applicants “based on relevant laws and regulations,” the report said.
In a statement to the Associated Press at the end of Tuesday, the State Department said China had committed to issuing a visa for a group of US journalists “provided they qualified under all applicable laws and regulations”.
“We will also continue to issue a visa to journalists (China) who qualify for visas under US law,” said the statement.
China is also committed to increasing the length of a valid US media visa from 90 days today for up to one year.
“With a reciprocal base, we are committed to increasing the validity of US visas issued for RRC journalists for one year too,” said the Statement of the State Department, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
Both parties will also offer a multiple entry visa, he said.
The limit on media workers has sparked tensions between the two countries for more than a year after the US limits the number of visas issued for Chinese media workers and asks those remaining to register as a foreign agent, among others.
China responded by expelling journalists working for US outlets and greatly limiting conditions for those who continue to work in the country.