Bloomberg, NYTimes journalists could be expelled from China

David Nakamura of The Washington Post reports that journalists from Bloomberg News and The New York Times could be kicked out of China in the wake of critical articles by both news organizations about the business dealings of top government officials.

Nakamura writes, “China has long held up visas or denied them to reporters in an effort to retaliate for coverage critical of ruling Communist Party officials, but U.S. reporters say the practice has grown more intense under President Xi Jinping. Instead of individual reporters being targeted, entire news organizations are facing threats that they will be kicked out of the country, the journalists said.

“Biden met with more than a dozen reporters. Biden aides characterized the meeting as off the record and declined to comment on the nature of the discussions.

“But Ian Johnson, a New York Times writer based in China, wrote on Twitter:  ‘China is about to expel all NYT and Bloomberg correspondents from China — unprecedented. Biden raised issue with Xi.’

“In a second tweet responding to someone who asked whether it was really true, Johnson wrote: ‘sad but true; 24 correspondents without a visa. first one leaves Dec. 17. All out by Dec. 31, unless govt changes course.'”

Read more here.