China and the US have agreed to ease restrictions on each other's journalists amid a slight relaxation of tensions between the two sides.

China Daily said yesterday the deal was reached before Tuesday's virtual Xi-Biden summit.

It shows some progress on an issue that has long aggravated relations, but details remain to be ironed out. Covid travel restrictions and long-standing obstacles faced by foreign media within China stand in the way of a major breakthrough.

Under the deal, the US will issue one-year multiple-entry visas to mainland journalists and initiate a process to address "duration of status issues," the newspaper said.

China will reciprocate once the US policies take effect, and both sides will issue media visas for new applicants.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called the deal a "hard-won achievement that is in the interests of both sides."

China also committed to increase the length for which US journalist visas are valid from the current 90 days to one year.

"On a reciprocal basis, we are committing to increase validity of US visas issued to PRC journalists to one year as well," the State Department said.

Not mentioned were press conditions in Hong Kong, where both local and international media have come under pressure.

The Economist said last week that Hong Kong refused a visa renewal for its correspondent Wong Sue-Lin. Hong Kong refused to renew the visa of Financial Times senior editor Victor Mallet after he chaired a Foreign Correspondents' Club lunch with the leader of a now-banned independence party. It also did not renew a visa for New York Times reporter Chris Buckley and Irish journalist Aaron McNicholas.

Limits on journalists have fueled tensions for more than a year after the US cut 20 visas issued to Chinese state media. China responded by expelling several journalists working for US outlets.

The deal on conditions for working journalists was reached before Tuesday's virtual summit between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. AP

Tit-for-tat media curbs to be eased