“US Solely Responsible”: China defends its retaliation to U.S. expulsion of journalists

“China is not the one to start trouble but will not blink if trouble comes its way,” says Chinese Government.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry today stressed that China is “compelled to take countermeasures” due to U.S.’s expulsion of Chinese journalists in the United States.

Geng Shuang, spokesperson for the ministry, told reporters when speaking of the decision, adding that the U.S. is “solely responsible” for all the consequences.

“Chinese media have long been covering news following the principles of objectivity, impartiality, truth and accuracy,” Geng said, noting that media helped promote mutual understanding, communication and cultural exchange between the two countries.

“The U.S. has said that all options are on the table. Today, I can also tell the U.S. that all options are on the table for China,” the spokesperson said, warning that China would take further action if the U.S. did not correct mistakes.

The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) echoed Geng’s comments on Wednesday, stating the countermeasures are legal and reasonable.

It said the restrictive measures applies to here in Hong Kong as the SAR is a part of China. Regarding the opposition from the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) in Hong Kong, it suggested the FCC to properly understand the Basic Laws and the principle of “One Country, Two Systems” and make its complaint to the U.S. government.

It also claimed that the U.S. government has placed unwarranted restrictions on Chinese media agencies and personnel in the United States, purposely made things difficult for their normal reporting assignments, and subjected them to growing discrimination and politically-motivated oppression.

In February 2020, it designated five Chinese media entities there as “foreign missions” and imposed a cap on the number of their employees, in effect expelling Chinese journalists from the country.

Such outrageous treatment prompted strong representations from China. China firmly objected to and strongly condemned the U.S. move, and stressed its reserved right to respond and take actions, said the statement.

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