BEIJING, Jan 22 (AFP) - China launched a scathing attack Wednesday on the US media, accusing it of plotting with anti-Beijing forces to undermine Sino-US relations and fuel global fears of Chinese expansionist ambitions.

A lengthy signed commentary, carried by the Xinhua news agency and published in full by most national dailies, said numerous US scholars and media commentators harboured "deep-rooted" and hostile anti-China prejudices that threatened the recent thaw in Sino-US relations.

"They have tried every means to undermine China's image worldwide by misleading the general public in the US, exerting influence on decision-makers and throwing up barriers to Sino-US relations by means of the news media," the commentary said.

Beijing-based American correspondents have recently commented on being subjected to 'good guy-bad guy' treatment by their Chinese handlers, who fete them with lavish banquets one moment and threaten to obstruct their activities and accreditation the next.

In recent months, the foreign ministry has been delaying the accreditation of journalists for the Christian Science Monitor and Washington Post because of their perceived anti-China slants.

Such treatment reflects the importance China's propaganda chiefs are attaching to a positive press in 1997, which will witness the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty, a crucial party congress and an expected state visit to the United States by President Jiang Zemin.

According to the Xinhua commentary, the US media has been "racking its brains" to come up with new anti-China theories that might throw a negative light on these events.

"Sometimes they spread pessimism and skepticism about the return and future of Hong Kong, urging the US government to step forward to interfere in an attempt to protect the 'freedom' of Hong Kong," it said.

"At other times they framed up lies about Tibet, claiming that the people of the ethnic Tibetan group are still being 'persecuted."

The strongly-worded commentary, titled 'Misguidance in Vain,' went on to denounce Americans in general, saying they regarded themselves as "the chosen people" with the right to impose their will on other countries.

It particularly attacked what it described as repeated attempts by US reporters to present an image of China as a volatile superpower bent on territorial expansion.

"The basic reason for some Americans feeling nervous about China's growth is the fact that China's development has added strength to the force of peace in the world, which certainly is definitely no good news for the hegemonists," it said.

The commentary noted the US media was comparatively mute on Japan's military development and claimed Tokyo's military budget was set to expand to the world's second largest at more than 50 billion dollars a year.

"Quite to the contrary, the US has even strengthened its security pact with Japan, and extended its scope of defence to cover the whole Asia-Pacific region that includes China."

It also vehemently rejected foreign charges of a rising tide of ultra-nationalism in China.

"Some American politicians and members of the news media deliberately confuse the lofty patriotic ideals of the Chinese people with the narrow concept of nationalism and use this to confuse the general public and place yet another obstacle in the way of improved Sino-US relations."

The Xinhua commentary was the latest in a series of official attacks on the US media, which has replaced Washington as the focus of China's propaganda machine since the recent upturn in Sino-US political ties.