China has announced that it would revoke the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters, due to an opinion piece with a "discriminatory" title.
The expulsion of the three Wall Street Journal reporters from China is the biggest revocation of press credentials by the country in more than 30 years.
At a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang stated that the revocation was due to the Wall Street Journal's publication on February 3 of an opinion piece titled "China is the real sick man of Asia."
Geng argued: "The editors used such a racially discriminatory title, triggering indignation and condemnation among the Chinese people and the international community."
He mentioned: "Regrettably, what the WSJ has done so far is nothing but parrying and dodging its responsibility. It has neither issued an official apology nor informed us of what it plans to do with the persons involved. ... As such, it is decided that from today, the press cards of three WSJ journalists will be revoked."
The Chinese government has been known to use visa restrictions to show displeasure with or exert pressure over foreign media in the country, with several foreign journalists having been placed on short-term visas instead of the standard one-year visa.
However, it is highly unlikely for the authorities to expel international journalists.
In response to the decision, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China issued a statement describing the expulsion of the three reporters as an "unprecedented form of retaliation against foreign journalists in China."
The group said: "FCCC member correspondents and their colleagues in China are suffering from an increasing frequency of harassment, surveillance and intimidation from authorities. The expulsion of these three WSJ reporters is only the latest, and most alarming, measure authorities have taken."
The expulsion also comes a day after the US State Department designated the Chinese state-run media companies, Xinhua, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily and People's Daily, as "foreign missions" effective immediately.
