China has voiced strong opposition to what it describes as the political suppression of a reporter from the state-run Xinhua news agency, who is currently based in the United States. The Chinese foreign ministry made this statement during a press conference on Monday, accusing the U.S. of using reciprocity as a pretext for its actions.

Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that the issues surrounding media relations between the two countries are clear, attributing the tensions to what he described as the U.S.’s unilateral provocations and politicization of media matters. Lin did not provide further details regarding the specific actions taken against the Xinhua reporter.

The U.S. embassy in Beijing has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter. Similarly, Xinhua has not provided any comments when approached via email.

This development follows a recent incident involving the expulsion of a New York Times reporter, Vivian Wang, from China. The expulsion was reportedly linked to an interview conducted by the newspaper with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. Chinese officials cited the interview as a reason for Wang’s expulsion, although she was not directly involved in the interview.

China considers Taiwan a part of its territory and views President Lai as a separatist. Lai, however, rejects these claims, asserting that only the people of Taiwan have the right to determine their future.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.