The European Union has called on China to withdraw its ban on the British BBC World News channel. The Chinese decision is apparently a retaliation for the UK’s revocation of China’s CCTV International’s CGTN operating license.
In a statement issued on Saturday (Feb. 13), the EU said Beijing‘s move was a further restriction on “freedom of expression” and access to information about China, which violates both the Chinese Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “This violates both the Chinese Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The statement also said that Radio Television Hong Kong had also made a decision to stop rebroadcasting BBC broadcasts, which would increase the “erosion” of the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. This process of “erosion” in the semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong has been going on since the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong last year.
The EU statement said, “The EU remains firmly committed to defending media freedom and pluralism, while also protecting people’s right to free expression online and offline, including the freedom to hold their own opinions and to receive and share information without any interference.”
Although the UK has left the EU, it remains a member of the European Council. The council oversees the broadcasting license agreement signed in 1989. Journalists in China from Britain, the United States and several other countries have also voiced opposition to China’s decision to ban the BBC.
China’s State Administration of Radio and Television announced on Thursday that BBC World News did not meet the conditions for overseas channels to land in China and decided not to allow its World News Channel to continue to land in the country and would not accept its application to land for a new year.
The BBC regretted the decision by the Chinese authorities, saying in a statement that “the BBC is the world’s most reputable international news broadcaster with global coverage that is fair, impartial and unbiased by fear or preference.”
The ban is more symbolic than practical, as China has never been open to BBC programming, which is only available in hotels and certain commercial establishments where foreigners live.
However, the Associated Press points out that China’s relations with the West are currently strained, with human rights issues, trade issues, the viral pandemic and many other hot-button issues causing unprecedented tension in bilateral relations. It is for this reason that China’s attitude toward foreign media is of great concern.
The reason given by the Chinese State Administration of Radio and Television for sanctioning the BBC is that the Western media’s “China-related reports seriously violate the regulations on radio and television broadcasting and the management of overseas satellite TV channels on the ground” and “violate the requirement that news should be true and fair. “
It is not yet known whether China will involve any British journalists in the retaliation. Last year Beijing expelled journalists from the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and New York Times for attacking the Chinese Communist Party.
Beijing’s sanctions against the BBC come after Ofcom revoked the landing permit of China’s international television station CGTN in the U.K. on Feb. 4, after an investigation by Ofcom found that CGTN’s broadcasting license was wrongly held by Star China Media Ltd. Ofcom ruled that the licensee, Star China Media, had no control over the content of the licensed service.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry called Ofcom’s decision a “political decision” based on ideological bias.
The loss of its UK operating license is a serious blow to China Radio International’s CGTN. The media outlet was an important tool for the Communist Party’s major outreach efforts to spread its views and challenge the power of Western media discourse. The CCP has invested enormous resources in this effort.
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