Did not reject or approve? U.S.'s ambiguous handling of visas for Chinese journalists seriously interferes with normal reporting activities
[Global Times Comprehensive Report] Today is the last day of the "90-day visa validity period" granted by Washington to Chinese journalists in the United States. As of the press time of this newspaper last night, no Chinese reporters stationed in the United States have been notified. According to the “Global Times” reporter in the United States, their visa extension applications are now in a state of being neither rejected nor approved. According to US regulations, if they do not receive a notice of denial of extension, they can stay up to 90 days. November 4, but if you still have not received the approval notice, you must leave the United States. "The reporter visa is just one of the several anti-China cards Trump has in his hand," Yuan Zheng, deputy director of the Institute of American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times reporter on the 5th that there are nearly three more than the general election. Yue, if he played now, he would lose one card.
Chinese reporters in the U.S. miserable
On May 8 this year, the United States significantly shortened the visa stay period of Chinese journalists in the United States to less than 90 days, and renewed applications for extension every 90 days. This is a very big policy change. In the past, for Chinese journalists, once they were granted a visa to enter the United States, there was no limit to their stay. As for such a major policy change, the Foreign Correspondents Center of the State Department of the United States has never informed Chinese reporters through formal channels. The reporters only learned about it through the media.
According to the "Global Times" reporter, the vast majority of Chinese reporters in the United States submitted visa extension applications online in June. The application fee for extension is expensive, 455 US dollars per person each time. Most Chinese journalists received a notice from the US Citizenship and Immigration Service more than ten days later, requesting the reporter to go to the agency’s office to take fingerprints at the designated time (mostly in mid-July), which is the first step in processing extension applications. . Usually, one to two months after the fingerprint is taken, the final processing advice from the US Citizenship and Immigration Service is received, but this time it has not been received yet. And so far, there are still nearly 40 Chinese journalists who have not even received the notice of fingerprinting.
According to an announcement issued by the US government in May, the first 90 days will expire on August 6. After 6 days, if the reporter receives neither the consent nor the rejection result, it means that the extension application is still being processed, and it can stay up to November 4; if the rejection notice is received, he must leave the United States immediately. Of course, even if the application is approved, the time limit is only 90 days. Chinese journalists need to submit another extension application before November 4 to fight for "legal status" for the next 90 days. Therefore, this policy is disastrous for the work and life of Chinese journalists based in the United States. They are always in a state of tension that may be forced to leave the country immediately. Especially during the epidemic, if the application is rejected by the US, it is very likely that the return ticket will not be bought in time.
On the 4th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged the United States to immediately stop its political suppression of Chinese media and journalists, and said that China will be forced to make necessary and legitimate responses. Recently, the New York Times and Fox News have also reported on the visa issue of Chinese journalists, but none of the requests for comment sent by these media to the US State Department have been responded.
In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao on the 5th, Li Mingjiang, associate professor of the Rajaratnam School of International Relations at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, pointed out that “the United States may further restrict the activities of Chinese media, but if Chinese journalists are completely expelled, it will be difficult for it to justify internationally. "
Author: Lin Li Xue Ren Day