The US and China announced an agreement on Tuesday to ease restrictions on foreign journalists operating in the two countries, tempering a diplomatic confrontation that led to the expulsion of some American reporters from China during the last year of the Trump administration.

The deal was first reported by the China Daily, a newspaper controlled by the Chinese government, and later confirmed by a statement issued from the state department.

Under the agreement, made public just a day after President Biden met President Xi Jinping of China, three news organisations — The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times — will be allowed to send journalists back to China, though it remained unclear whether the specific correspondents expelled last year will be permitted to return to work there.

“We are gratified their correspondents will be able to return to the PRC to continue their important work,” the state department said in a statement, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

“We welcome this progress but see it simply as initial steps.”

The US, which had limited visas for Chinese journalists to 90 days, will provide yearlong visas for the foreign reporters, renewable annually. Both countries agreed to make it easier for journalists to come and go from the countries without fear of losing the ability to return to work.

Journalists for both countries will have to meet the standard eligibility requirements for visas under the laws of both countries.

American officials described the agreement as a result of months of negotiations aimed at resolving some of the escalating tensions between the two superpowers as they maneuver for economic power and public relations superiority around the globe.

“We will continue to work toward expanding access and improving conditions for US and other foreign media, and we will continue to advocate for media freedom as a reflection of our democratic values,” the statement from the state department said.

But it is unclear whether the deal — which White House aides said was not discussed when Biden and Xi met in a virtual summit on Monday — fully reverses the expulsion actions that China took against the three newspapers last March.

New York Times News Service