The U.S. State Department recently announced that it will cap the number of Chinese citizens permitted to work for the five Chinese media entities including CGTN, CRI, China Daily, Hai Tian Development (People's Daily) and Xinhua News Agency.
The decision comes after the U.S. designated these five news organizations as "foreign missions" and then restricted the number of Chinese personnel working for them.
This amounts to a de-facto "expulsion" of Chinese journalists on very short notice. In this manner, the U.S. State Department has increased its control over Chinese media, while violating hallowed U.S. commitments to freedom of speech and the press.
CGTN America strongly opposes its designation of "foreign mission" and the unilateral personnel cap on Chinese employees.
The U.S. government promises all domestic and foreign news organizations that it will not interfere with their news reporting.
Meanwhile, it expels Chinese journalists and suppresses Chinese media. Under the circumstances, this appears hypocritical.
CGTN America strictly abides by U.S. laws and regulations and covers the news in a comprehensive, objective and fair way. We believe CGTN America provides a vital 'cultural bridge' between China and the U.S.
Our news organization provides comprehensive coverage of global affairs for viewers everywhere. Our newsroom has won dozens of U.S. news awards, including a national Emmy for Outstanding Feature Story in a News Magazine.
These achievements show CGTN America's professionalism and excellence has been recognized by our peers in the U.S. media industry.
U.S. government suppression won't deter us from providing the world with more high-quality news.
We hope the U.S. government will cease politicizing legitimate news operations. CGTN provides a window on Chinese culture and a platform for Chinese perspectives on international affairs.
Even if the State Department's actions make working in the U.S. more difficult, we will spare no effort to provide audiences with accurate, objective and fair news coverage.