State Department Designates Six Additional Chinese News Outlets as ‘Foreign Missions’

The State Department is taking action against more Chinese media outlets by designating them “foreign missions” and accusing them of publishing propaganda. 

In a statement, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, “Over the past decade, and particularly under General Secretary Xi Jinping’s tenure, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has asserted greater control over China’s state-backed propaganda outlets while trying to disguise them as independent news agencies.”

She noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping said that “Party-owned media must. . . embody the party’s will, safeguard the party’s authority … their actions must be highly consistent with the party.”

“While free media around the world are beholden to the truth, PRC media are beholden to the CCP. Today, the United States is publicly recognizing that reality through these designations,” Ortagus added.

She said the U.S. is designating Yicai Global, Jiefang Daily, Xinmin Evening News, Social Sciences in China Press, Beijing Review, and Economic Daily as foreign missions.

“These six entities all meet the definition of a foreign mission under the Foreign Missions Act in that they are ‘substantially owned or effectively controlled’ by a foreign government. In this case, they are effectively controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China,” Ortagus added.

“The decision to designate these entities does not place any restrictions on what these organizations may publish in the United States. It simply recognizes them for what they are – PRC-controlled propaganda outlets.”

The new designation requires that those companies “adhere to certain requirements that increase transparency relating to their associated government’s media activities in the United States.”

“Our goal is to protect the freedom of press in the United States, and ensure the American people know whether their news is coming from the free press or from a malign foreign government. Transparency isn’t threatening to those who value truth,” she said.

The State Department has previously labeled other Chinese media outlets as foreign missions, as IJR reported. In February, the department slapped four other outlets with the designation.

At the time, the U.S. said the move was in response to China’s “negative trend” in how it treats foreign reporters. 

In response to those restrictions, China announced it would expel reporters from U.S. based news outlets.