Beijing ‘will respond’ if US keeps targeting Chinese media – spokesman

China warned on Tuesday that it will have to respond if Washington does not stop targeting Chinese media organizations operating in the United States.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the comments in Beijing after the US said it would start treating four major Chinese media outlets as foreign embassies, alleging they are mouthpieces for Beijing, Reuters said.

David Stilwell, the senior US diplomat for East Asia, said the designation would affect China Central Television, the China News Service, the People’s Daily and the Global Times.

In February, the State Department declared five other Chinese outlets to be foreign embassies. The designation requires the outlets to inform the US State Department of their personnel rosters and real-estate holdings.