Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has branded four more Chinese state-run media outlets as foreign missions, a decision that subjects the employees to the scrutiny and restrictions applied to diplomats and undercover intelligence officers.

“The decision to designate these entities is not based on any content produced by these entities, nor does it place any restrictions on what the designated entities may publish in the United States,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Monday. “It simply recognizes them for what they are.”