The article, published on February 3, is entitled China is the real sick man of Asia. A headline that has caused the Chinese government to react.

In a daily news briefing on Wednesday, Geng Shuang, spokesman for the Chinese government, said journalists' press visas were revoked because of the headline. The Chinese government has previously demanded an apology from the Wall street journal, something the US newspaper has declined to do. That's what The New York Times writes.

"The Chinese people do not welcome media that publish racist statements and expose China to malicious attacks," Geng Shuang added.

The journalists have not written the criticized article

It is the first time since 1998 that foreign correspondents have been expelled from China, according to The foreign correspondents club of China. They call the repeal of journalist press visas "an unprecedented form of retaliation," writes The New York Times.

Like other media organizations, the Wall Street Journal makes a difference between news reporters and those who write debate articles. The journalists to be expelled are news reports and thus have nothing to do with the debate article criticized by China, writes The New York Times.

The three journalists have been given five days to leave China.