China grants renewed press cards to several Western journalists facing expulsion

Several Western journalists facing expulsion from China were given renewed press cards by the Chinese government, allowing them to apply for visas to remain in the country. The move appears to end a weeks-long standoff between the government and journalists that included a personal appeal by Vice President Joe Biden to China’s president.

Journalists from the New York Times, Bloomberg News and other organizations were facing the loss of their Chinese visas around the end of December, at which point they and their families would be forced to leave the country. While most reporters at the Times and Bloomberg still do not have visas, receiving their press credentials removes a main impediment to their applications. All of Bloomberg’s foreign staff in China but only some at the Times received press cards, members of both organizations said. A handful of Times journalists have not received press cards and thus continue to face the prospect of being forced to leave, according to journalists in Beijing working on their behalf.