China and the US have agreed to ease restrictions on each other’s media persons amid a slight softening in relations between the two sides. The official China Daily newspaper said that the agreement came ahead of Tuesday’s first virtual bilateral meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden.
China Daily said that under the agreement, the US would issue one-year multiple entry visas to Chinese media persons, and all processes regarding this will be completed soon. The report said that once the US policies come into effect, China will treat American journalists equally. Both sides will issue visas for media persons based on laws and regulations.
In a statement to The Associated Press late Tuesday, the State Department said China is committed to issuing visas to a group of American journalists provided they are all eligible under established laws and regulations. “We will also issue visas to those (Chinese) journalists who are eligible for visas under US law,” the statement said. Along with this, China is also ready to legalize the visa period of American media persons from 90 days to one year.
Referring to the People’s Republic of China, the State Department statement said that on a reciprocal basis, we are committed to extending the validity of US visas issued to PRC journalists by one year. Both sides have agreed on multiple entry visas.
Tensions between the two countries escalated after the US limited the number of visas issued to Chinese state media personnel last year. In response, China expelled journalists working for American outlets and tightened conditions for those working in the country.