She replied that her company – Phoenix Media – is “privately” owned.

She’s lying.

The Hong Kong/Cayman Islands based Phoenix Media is actually owned in large part by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and by a former CCP propaganda officer.

As of 2018, Phoenix Satellite Holdings was owned by Liu Changle (37.1% of shares). Changle is a “former PLA propaganda official who is close to senior Chinese government leaders”.

Changle previously worked as a propaganda officer for China National Radio (then known as the Central People’s Broadcasting Station).

A further 20 percent of the company is owned by Extra Step Investments Limited, in turn owned by China Mobile Hong Kong, which itself is owned by the Chinese government-owned China Mobile.

Eight more percent of the company is owned by China Wise Investment Ltd, owned by the Bank of China.

This means at least 65 percent of the company is owned by the government of China.

For journalist Youyou Wang to claim she works for a private company is an outright lie.

The White House Correspondents Association must surely answer to why they are allowing a CCP propagandist a seat in the White House Press Briefing Room.