Trump administration limits Chinese government-controlled media in U.S.

The Trump administration on Monday announced that it is imposing personnel caps on five Chinese government-controlled media outlets operating within the United States.

The cap will impact the five outlets that the State Department last month designated as foreign missions of the People’s Republic of China -- Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily Distribution Corporation and Hai Tian Development USA.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the cap will limit the number of Chinese citizens permitted to work for those organizations.

"Unlike foreign media organizations in China, these entities are not independent news organizations," he also said.

The U.S. hopes to convince the Chinese government to change its behavior toward the international press.

“Our goal is reciprocity," Pompeo continued. "As we have done in other areas of the U.S.-China relationship, we seek to establish a long-overdue level playing field. It is our hope that this action will spur Beijing to adopt a more fair and reciprocal approach to U.S. and other foreign press in China.”

According to Axios, administration officials say the Chinese media outlets will also face limitations on the length of their I visas, though the holders will be able to request extensions. Such visas are given to foreign nationals working in media.

Beijing has also reportedly limited the stay of U.S. journalists in China and number of them — about a dozen compared to 3,000 in America.

The administration's restrictions follow the China expelling several Wall Street Journal reporters.