Al-Jazeera's English news channel closed after the Chinese government expelled a correspondent, refusing to renew her press credentials.
Melissa Chan, an American citizen and political journalist, left China on Monday night.
According to Al-Jazeera, the government has refused to allow a replacement correspondent too, however, the channel's Arabic service remains unaffected.
Hong Lei, a spokesperson at China's Foreign Ministry, said,
“China addressed this problem in accordance with laws and regulations,”
“The media concerned know in their heart what they did wrong.”