American journalists based in Hong Kong could be the next targets in the embryonic Cold War between the US and China.
This was according to Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a newspaper with close links to the Chinese regime.
According to BusinessLive Hu said that the visas of Chinese journalists based in the US were not being renewed. If this was the case, he expected American journalists based in the embattled city of Hong Kong to be targeted too. Hu’s statements on the social media site, Twitter, are closely watched by Sinophiles, as they have often accurately predicted actions by the Chinese government.
The two countries have been engaged in a tit-for-tat fight over their journalists. Earlier this year the US tightened visa restrictions for Chinese journalists, and a number of American reporters were expelled from China. Subsequently the US ordered the size of the bureaus of Chinese state-owned media in America to be reduced.
Although Hong Kong has a separate immigration policy from China its control over this is increasingly being undermined. Furthermore, Hong Kong has already denied entry to foreign journalists and other critics of the Chinese government.