Beijing threatens to "take action" after US media restrictions

China condemned Tuesday the announced reduction in the number of Chinese journalists accredited to the United States, threatening to " take unspecified retaliatory measures against Washington.

In response to restrictions on the foreign press in China, Washington announced on Monday that the Chinese workforce of five Beijing media outlets in the United States is expected to be reduced from 160 to 100 people effective March 13.

Read also: China judges US measures against Chinese media "unacceptable"

The measure, announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, comes two weeks after China's decision to expel three journalists from the American daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ), but Washington said it was taken to " restore equality which has been long overdue ”between the two countries.

At a press briefing in Beijing, Chinese diplomacy spokesman Zhao Lijian expressed " strong opposition and condemnation " from his government. " With his Cold War mentality and his ideological bias, the US State Department uses unfounded arguments to politically oppress Chinese media based in the United States, "he said. " China reserves the right to take additional measures, " added the spokesman, without giving further details.

Read also: China withdraws accreditation to three journalists from Wall Street Journal after controversial headline

The five Chinese media concerned by the American decision are the Chine Nouvelle agency, CGTN television, Radio Chine Internationale and the newspapers China Daily and Le Quotidien du Peuple.