A dispute between US President Donald Trump and several news organisations disrupted television coverage of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington, drawing concern from Chinese officials and limiting live footage of the high-profile meetings.
The disruption followed Trump’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. The move affected the network television pool responsible for providing live footage of presidential events.
The TV pool suspended coverage during key events surrounding Xi’s visit because CNN, one of the networks involved in the rotation, had been excluded from the White House.
Chinese officials subsequently contacted US television networks to discuss the impact of the restrictions on coverage of Xi’s visit, according to people familiar with the discussions cited by CNN.
Wu Xinbo, a Chinese foreign ministry adviser, told CNN that the limited coverage was regrettable and said broader television coverage could have contributed to the atmosphere surrounding US-China relations.
Xi’s visit, which ran from September 23 to 25, was the first state visit by a Chinese leader to Washington in 11 years. The two presidents held talks as their governments sought to manage disagreements over trade, technology, Taiwan and other issues.
The White House defended its position, arguing that television networks had access to other opportunities to cover the visit. Communications Director Steven Cheung accused the TV pool of failing to carry out its responsibilities and said other media outlets helped provide coverage.
The situation changed on Friday after a federal judge ordered the administration to restore access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico. The television pool subsequently resumed coverage, allowing networks to broadcast events involving Trump and Xi, including their meeting at the White House.
However, the dispute remained unresolved. The White House later indicated that CNN would not be included on Air Force One for Trump’s next trip, creating further uncertainty over the network’s participation in future presidential media pools.
The media restrictions came as the Trump administration and the affected news organisations continued a legal battle over access to the White House. CNN, MS NOW and Politico had challenged the ban in court, arguing that it violated constitutional protections for the press.
The episode added a media-access dispute to an otherwise highly choreographed diplomatic visit, during which Trump hosted Xi for ceremonial events, a state dinner and meetings at the White House.
