Biden and Xi Forged Agreement on Journalists’ Visas, China Daily Says

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and Chinese presidents reached an agreement regarding issuing new visas for journalists, the China Daily reports, citing sources in China’s Foreign Ministry.

• The U.S. will issue one-year multiple entry visas to journalists of Chinese nationality and then the Chinese side will reciprocate, the China Daily said
• Journalists of both countries will be allowed to freely depart and return to each other’s countries
• The agreement was one of three points of consensus for the two sides, the China Daily said, without elaborating on what the other two points were
• Note: Beijing has said the U.S. has expelled more than 60 Chinese media personnel, denied visas to more than 20 others and shortened the validity of visas for the remaining journalists
• China’s government forced a record 17 journalists to leave in the first half of 2020, according to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China, including almost all the American citizens who work at some American newspapers, and delayed renewing the press credentials of some journalists working for American media outlets, including Bloomberg
• Read more: China Vows Retaliation Against Journalists Unless U.S. Relents
• Read more: China Delays Credentials for Journalists With U.S. Media Outlets
• Read more: China Guts U.S. Press Corps in Beijing With Mass Expulsions

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