The State Department is asking all US-based employees of Chinese state TV network CGTN to fill out detailed questionnaires with personal information, alarming American employees of the network, CNN has learned. It's a result of five Chinese state media outlets being labeled Foreign Missions by the US earlier this year, marking them as extensions of Beijing's government and requiring them to comply with the same rules that govern foreign embassies and consulates.
The action is part of a broader tit-for-tat between China and the United States, with media outlets in both countries serving as proxies. The five-page form, titled "State Department OFM (Office of Foreign Missions) Questionnaire," asks for employees' personal information as well as information about their spouses, children, and anyone else they live with, along with where the employee has worked for the past five years. A copy of the form was shared with CNN by two CGTN employees who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal.
