In tit-for-tat, China bans BBC news broadcasts; UK cries foul
PTI, Feb 12, 2021, 11:14 AM IST
Beijing: China has banned BBC World News from airing in China, one week after threatening to retaliate for the recent revocation of the British broadcasting license for China’s state-owned CGTN.
The National Radio and Television Administration said in a statement dated midnight Friday that BBC World News coverage of China had violated requirements that news reporting be true and impartial and undermined China’s national interests and ethnic solidarity.
The BBC already is generally not viewable in China outside of some hotels, businesses and residential compounds for foreigners. It wasn’t immediately clear if the ban would affect reception in those facilities.
The Chinese government has criticised recent BBC reports on the COVID-19 pandemic in China and on allegations of forced labor and sexual abuse in the Xinjiang region, home to the Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. “The channel fails to meet the requirements to broadcast in China as an overseas channel,” the Radio and Television Administration said, adding it would not accept BBC’s broadcast application for the next year.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the move an unacceptable curtailing of media freedom” that would “only damage China’s reputation in the eyes of the world”. Britain’s communications watchdog, Ofcom, revoked the license for CGTN, China’s English-language satellite news channel, on February 4. It cited links to China’s ruling Communist Party among the reasons.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the next day that Ofcom had “acted on political grounds based on ideological bias” and that China reserves the right to respond to protect the rights and interests of Chinese media.
Losing its British broadcasting license was a major setback for CGTN. The channel has a European operations hub in West London and is part a government push to expand China’s soft power and burnish its image abroad.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Will impose 25 per cent tariff on all imports from Canada, Mexico: Trump
Internal divisions leave open question whether Gandhi’s vision will ever be fully realised in India: Bill Clinton
COP29: India rejects new USD 300 billion climate finance deal
Royal tour of India in offing for King Charles, Queen Camilla: Report
Indian-American leaders applaud PM Modi for inclusive growth in India
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Rituals being conducted at temples for Shinde’s continuation as Maharashtra CM
BJP in no hurry to announce CM candidate until portfolio allocation finalised: sources
Atishi inaugurates 24×7 underground shooting range in Delhi’s Rohini
Sad to see you go, hope we can reunite: Delhi Capitals’ co-owner to Rishabh Pant
SC grants bail to 2 convicts in two-decade-old murder case of Chhattisgarh NCP leader
Thanks for visiting Udayavani
You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.