U.S. Ambassador to China,Terry Branstad, recently sent an Op-Ed titled “Resetting the Relationship Based on Reciprocity,” but the People’s Daily rejected his request. On September 10, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and People’s Daily said the U.S. Ambassador’s article was “full of loopholes” and accused the U.S. of being ” illogical, overbearing and unreasonable” in this matter. At a regular press conference on September 10, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Branstad’s article “attacks” and “smears” China, and that the U.S. request of “publishing the op-ed with its full content with no alteration” clearly has nothing to do with freedom of the press. Zhao Lijian said that the US is “deliberately touching porcelain to find fault”. Earlier on September 9, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo issued a statement criticising the People’s Daily and China’s propaganda agencies of hypocrisy and lack of reciprocal treatment for refusing to publish Branstad’s op-ed.
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