Risch Condemns CCP’s Decision to Expel U.S. Journalists Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s announcement of the expulsion of U.S. journalists from China:

“The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) decision to expel from China all U.S. journalists from three major press outlets is appalling. This is an unreasonable response to the recent actions taken by the U.S. State Department to increase the transparency of Chinese state-run media organizations operating in the United States.

“Amid the outbreak of a global pandemic that originated in China, the CCP is demonstrating yet again that it is more interested in suppressing information and protecting its own reputation than helping the world deal with this crisis. It is unfortunate that China is choosing to squander opportunities to cooperate with the United States on global health, an area where our two nations share common interests, and could work together.”

###