Beijing, Feb 12: In an apparent tit for tat move, China has banned BBC World News from broadcasting in the country for seriously violating its guidelines for reporting, China’s television and radio regulator has announced. The move comes a week after Ofcom, the British media regulator, revoked the license of Chinese state-owned broadcaster China Global Television Network’s (CGTN) to broadcast in the UK. China has criticised the BBC for its reporting on the deadly coronavirus pandemic and the persecution of ethnic minority Uighurs in the restive Xinjiang province and lodged a protest with the British broadcaster.
The BBC said it was “disappointed” by China’s decision to ban it.
The Chinese regulator, the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) has made the announcement on Thursday night on pulling BBC World News off the air in the country for serious content violation.
The BBC coverage went against the requirements that news reporting must be “true and impartial, and undermined China’s national interests and ethnic solidarity,” it said.
“As the channel fails to meet the requirements to broadcast in China as an overseas channel, BBC World News is not allowed to continue its service within Chinese territory,” the NRTA statement said.
It said that the BBC’s application to air for another year would not be accepted. It is unclear how much impact China’s ban of BBC World News would have in the world’s most populous country. The BBC have never been allowed to broadcast in mainland China or into Chinese homes. BBC World News was only available in international hotels and diplomatic compounds.
Ofcom’s decision to revoke the license of CGTN came after it found that the Chinese state television licence was wrongfully held by Star China Media Ltd. CGTN was also found in breach of British broadcasting regulations for airing the allegedly forced confession of UK citizen Peter Humphrey.
Reacting to China’s ban the BBC said in a statement: ‘We are disappointed that the Chinese authorities have decided to take this course of action. The BBC is the world’s most trusted international news broadcaster and reports on stories from around the world fairly, impartially and without fear or favour.” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called China’s move an “unacceptable curtailing of media freedom”. (PTI)
