Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 19 March 2020
At least 13 U.S. journalists facing expulsion from China

By KEN MORITSUGU expressed alarm at the
Associated Press ban on working in the city,
BEIJING (AP) — At least 13 which has its own legal sys-
American journalists stand tem under a "one country,
to be expelled from China two systems" principle that
in retaliation for a new visa gives its residents greater
limit imposed by the Trump freedoms than mainland
administration on Chinese China.
state-owned media oper- The Hong Kong immigra-
ating in the U.S. tion department generally
The Chinese government determines who can get a
announced Wednesday journalist visa. "If that system
that Americans working at has changed, it would rep-
three major U.S. newspa- resent a serious erosion of
pers would have to surren- the One Country, Two Sys-
der their press cards within tems principle," the FCCHK
10 days. They will all but said in a statement.
certainly have to leave the The Chinese foreign minis-
country, as their visas are try office in Hong Kong said
tied to their media creden- that the decision falls within
tials. the central government's
The number of affected purview over foreign affairs
journalists at the papers — The New York Times Beijing based correspondent Steven Lee Myers, left, chats with other foreign under the principle.
The New York Times, The journalists after attending a daily briefing by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at Chinese state media
Wall Street Journal and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing, Wednesday, March 18, 2020. echoed the government
The Washington Post — is Associated Press line that the U.S. bears re-
at least 13 and could be sponsibility for starting the
higher depending on how response to the unreason- eign journalists working in nouncement, China had dispute.
broadly the group is de- able oppression the Chi- China. expelled nine foreign jour- "The impact of the U.S.
fined, said the Foreign Cor- nese media organizations The outlets employ about nalists since 2013, the FCCC move will not be limited to
respondents' Club of Chi- experience in the U.S." 160 Chinese citizens in the said. the field of media, but will
na, or FCCC. He warned that "if the Unit- U.S. and include the official The dramatic step, which create negative overall ef-
It would be by far the larg- ed States insists on walking Xinhua News Agency and shocked foreign journalists fects and new uncertain-
est expulsion of foreign jour- farther down the wrong China Global Television in China, is the latest retal- ties to the relationship," the
nalists from China in recent path, China will be forced Network, the overseas arm iatory move in a series of ruling Communist Party's
memory. to take further counter- of state broadcaster CCTV. disputes between Beijing People's Daily newspaper
"There are no winners in the measures." Americans at the three and Washington. said in an editorial.
use of journalists as diplo- The U.S. announced earlier newspapers whose cre- The two sides remain en- U.S. Secretary of State
matic pawns by the world's this month that five of Chi- dentials expire this year will meshed in a tariff and Mike Pompeo disputed the
two preeminent economic na's state-controlled media have to give up their press trade war despite a recent comparison between the
powers," the FCCC said in a outlets would be restricted cards. They will also be truce and have traded an- U.S. and Chinese actions,
statement. to 100 visas, the de facto barred from working in the gry words over the coro- describing the Chinese me-
Foreign ministry spokesman expelling of about 60 jour- semi-autonomous Chinese navirus pandemic that first dia companies as propa-
Geng Shuang described nalists. It cited increasingly territories of Hong Kong emerged in China and has ganda outlets.
the move as "necessary harsh surveillance, harass- and Macao, the foreign spread worldwide. "We've identified these
countermeasures that Chi- ment and intimidation of ministry said. The Foreign Correspon- as foreign missions under
na is compelled to take in American and other for- Until Wednesday's an- dents' Club in Hong Kong American law," he said.q

Philippines declares cease-fire with rebels to fight virus

MANILA, Philippines (AP) sive posture. He urged the 2016. But the negotiations,
— Philippine President Ro- Marxist guerrillas to respond brokered by the Nether-
drigo Duterte declared a with their own cease-fire. lands, eventually bogged
unilateral cease-fire with "We call on them to be a down with both sides ac-
communist guerrillas on part of the solution in fight- cusing the other of continu-
Wednesday to focus on ing our common enemy, ing to carry out attacks.
fighting the coronavirus the coronavirus," Ano said Although he has often
outbreak that prompted in a statement. lashed out at the rebels,
him to place the northern "Through this cease-fire, the Duterte has repeatedly giv-
third of the country under Philippine government as- en signs that he is open to
quarantine. pires that the swift provision resuming negotiations with
Duterte ordered the military of public health assistance the rural-based insurgents,
and police to stop offen- goes unimpeded with the estimated by the military to
sives against New People's movement of health work- number less than 5,000 na-
Army guerrillas during the ers and medical supplies to tionwide.
cease-fire, which is to start communities," presidential The insurgency has raged Commuters go down a military truck as they offer a free ride af-
ter public transportation have been halted due to the enhanced
Thursday and end April 15. spokesman Salvador Pan- for more than half a cen- community quarantine to prevent the spread of the new coro-
Interior Secretary Eduardo elo said. Duterte launched tury, making it one of navirus along an almost empty hi-way in Manila, Philippines on
Ano ordered the national peace talks with the rebels Asia's longest-running Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
police to shift to a defen- when he took office in mid- rebellions.q Associated Press