The Chinese government is reportedly revoking the press credentials of all American reporters for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.

The announcement was made Tuesday, amid an escalating battle with the Trump administration over media operations in the two countries. 

China's new rule seems to come in response to a move made by the U.S. State Department in February.

The Department announced that the U.S. operations of five Chinese news organizations (Xinhua News Agency, China Radio International, China Global Television Network and the distributors of China Daily and People’s Daily) will be considered foreign diplomatic missions. This means the organizations would be treated as arms of the Chinese government.

Shortly after the U.S. State Department made this announcement in February, the Chinese government took measures to discipline Chinese-based journalists associated with a Wall Street Journal piece entitled "China is the Real Sick Man of Asia." 

The government retaliated by revoking the press credentials of three Beijing-based Wall Street Journal reporters, ordering them to leave the country within five days.

Not long after this, in March, the U.S. State Department added to its new mandate regarding Chinese journalists, announcing that only 100 Chinese citizens who are on U.S. soil as employees of any of the previously mentioned five state-owned media outlets could remain in the states. 

This was announced when there were a total of 160 Chinese nationals living in the U.S. who were employees of those outlets.

Essentially, the new rule would force 60 Chinese nationals out of the U.S. over the country's media, curtailing subjective views that fail to harmonize with the

So, in seeming retaliation to the U.S.'s actions, China issued a new edict, requiring five U.S. media outlets (Voice of America, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and Time magazine) to submit written reports of their staff, finances, operations, and real estate in China.

This was in addition to the mandate that would expel U.S. employees of Chinese media agencies. 

Many American journalists view China's move as an attempt to tighten its control Chinese government's agenda, thereby limiting its citizens' exposure to a broad range of unbiased news. 

Let's be clear: China is not "retaliating" against the Trump admin. It is trying to ensure there is no objective news out of China-- just what they want us to know. It makes it impossible for other govts, and companies, universities, and individuals to make informed decisions. https://t.co/vIzHck7m8I

— Tom Wright (@thomaswright08) March 17, 2020

With China kicking out American journalists, the world loses a crucial window on the drivers of global health and global economy. Whatever you think of American media, this is bad for finance, pandemics, education, and national security worldwide, including for Chinese citizens. https://t.co/e50RMLLtWy

— Evan Osnos (@eosnos) March 17, 2020

The expulsion of so many outstanding, professional colleagues hurts the outside world’s understanding of China. But it robs China, too, of sources of information its leaders used to value semi-openly. I have never forgotten this 2001 Zhu Rongji press conference I attended 1/3

— David Rennie ??? (@DSORennie) March 18, 2020