China delays renewing credentials for journalists at US outlets

(Beijing) Beijing has held off renewing the expiring press credentials of journalists at U.S. media outlets, including Bloomberg, CNN and the Wall Street Journal, the news organisations reported, amid a tussle with Washington over journalist visas.

The move comes as Chinese journalists in the United States wait for their lapsed work visas to be renewed. The Chinese journalists have been allowed to stay in the United States during a 90-day grace period that expires in early November, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Wall Street Journal's Jeremy Page, who is British, as well as American CNN reporter David Culver and two non-American Bloomberg journalists were issued letters allowing them to continue working in China with their expired press credentials for about two months, the outlets reported respectively.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday on Twitter that "we would be glad to continue our excellent cooperation with the U.S. journalists here if Chinese journalists are treated fairly in the U.S."

"CNN journalist and a few other U.S. journalists' visa extension applications are being processed, during which they can continue to live and work here with no problems at all", she added.