BEIJING - A spokesperson for China's Xinhua News Agency on Thursday expressed strong condemnation and firm opposition to the US decision to restrict visas for Chinese journalists to 90 days.

The move by the Department of Homeland Security of the United States is a discriminatory act and unprovoked suppression on Chinese journalists, fully exposing the hypocrisy of "freedom of the press" touted by the US side, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Xinhua is widely recognized as an internationally renowned news organization. Xinhua's US-based journalists have long been strictly following the laws and regulations of the United States and are always committed to reporting US news based on the principle of objectivity, fairness, truthfulness and accuracy, the spokesperson said.

Recently, the US side has been escalating its restrictions and suppression of Chinese media, severely interfering in the work and life of Xinhua's US-based staff members, said the spokesperson.

Several Xinhua journalists have encountered difficulties deliberately created by the US side when applying for US visas or returning to their posts after vacations back in China, the spokesperson added.

In February 2020, the United States designated the US-based offices of five Chinese media outlets, including Xinhua, as "foreign missions" and has forced the de-facto expulsion of Chinese journalists based in the United States.

The spokesperson urged the US side to immediately revoke its wrong decision, stop imposing oppression and restrictions on Xinhua's US-based offices and its staff members there to guarantee their legitimate rights and interests in news reporting.