The Justice Department has forced a major Chinese-owned newspaper's U.S. subsidiary to register as a foreign agent, records show.

Why it matters: The DOJ has stepped up scrutiny of foreign-owned media in recent years, and its demand that Sing Tao U.S. register as a foreign agent comes amid high tensions between Washington and Beijing over the latter's influence efforts in the U.S.

What's new: Sing Tao disputes its status as a foreign agent, but according to filings this week under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the DOJ determined the newspaper's U.S. operations qualified as foreign influence efforts.

• "The Department of Justice's FARA Unit has concluded that [its U.S. activity] constitutes political activity for purposes of the FARA," Sing Tao wrote.
• According to Sing Tao, the Hong Kong-based company is privately owned and not controlled or influenced by the Chinese Communist Party.

Background: Sing Tao's parent company operates the oldest Chinese-language newspaper in Hong Kong.

• In June, the daughter of a wealthy mainland property developer purchased a majority stake in the company.
• Sing Tao's U.S. operations consist of newspapers in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and a radio station based in Burlingame, California.
• More than half of Sing Tao's U.S. content is purchased from a Chinese company called Star Production (Shenzhen) Limited, according to its FARA filings.

Be smart: The Chinese government exerts significant influence over domestic media coverage.

• It's also stepped up more overt media crackdowns of late, particularly in Hong Kong, where the publisher of a leading opposition newspaper was recently sentenced to 14 months in prison.
• The Chinese government has also stepped up its media influence operations abroad in recent years.