WASHINGTON _ The Justice Department has informed China's Xinhua News Agency and China Global Television Network that they must register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The state-owned news agencies will be required to disclose information about their annual budget and expenditures, their ownership structure and other information under the act, which mandates registration with the Justice Department by organizations and individuals that attempt to influence U.S. policymakers or public opinion on behalf of foreign governments.
They also will have to include disclaimers on broadcasts and published materials identifying themselves as registered foreign agents, according to the person, who asked not to be identified in advance of a formal announcement. The move was reported earlier Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal.
The move echoes requirements imposed on Russian outlets in the wake of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Several U.S. contractors working with RT and Sputnik Radio were forced to register under the act. In May, the Justice Department also required a broadcaster based in Reston, Va., that carried English-language broadcasts of France 24, funded by the French government, to register.
Xinhua News Agency is the official state-run press agency of the People's Republic of China, and one of the largest news organizations in the world. China Global Television Network broadcasts in eight languages, including English.
The U.S. has required foreign media controlled by governments to register in the past. Tass, the wire service of the Soviet Union, filed as a foreign agent, and the U.S. distributors for three other Chinese media outlets _ the China Daily of Beijing, the People's Daily Overseas and the Xin Min Evening News _ are registered under the act.
