China Global Television Network (CGTN), whose landing permit was previously revoked by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) in the U.K., has had room to maneuver. The French regulator, the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA), announced on March 3 that it had approved CGTN’s landing permit, which means CGTN will be able to resume broadcasting in Europe. However, broadcasters say that even with a pan-European agreement, the U.K. could still impose restrictions on broadcasting, and French academic Bodoin argues that many French people are not aware of the risk of disinformation posed by the Chinese network.
The French High Audiovisual Council (CSA) announced on March 3 that it had passed the application for a broadcast license for China Global Television Network (CGTN), the official Chinese media outlet. Antoine Bondaz, a researcher at the French Foundation for Strategic Studies (FRS), believes that the difficulty for the French authorities is to strike a balance between the necessary cooperation with China and the implementation of a clear framework for cooperation when defending French interests.
In a statement issued on February 4, Ofcom said it had revoked the landing license of China’s Global TV Network in the U.K. on the grounds that under U.K. law, licensees must have editorial review of broadcast content and must not be a government or political party, yet Global TV is backed by the Communist Party’s China Central Television (CCTV ).
Ofcom believes that it is the Chinese Communist government that really has control, contrary to current UK law, so the license is revoked. However, under the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (CETT), the Chinese network can resume broadcasting in Europe if it reapplies for a license in any of these countries.
CETT therefore turned to France and began applying to the French Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA) in December, which confirmed on March 3 that CETT met the two technical requirements of broadcasting via French satellite and sending its signals from France, and therefore granted the license to broadcast.
France does not prohibit state-owned broadcasters from broadcasting, and these channels are free to broadcast without prior verification, provided they respect French audiovisual communication laws. In light of the controversy over CTV, the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel stressed that “special attention will be paid to CTV’s compliance with regulatory requirements” and that it has the right to fine or suspend CTV if it broadcasts content that incites hatred and violence or does not respect the dignity and integrity of the human person.
However, Bodhaan noted that the French are not as vigilant in looking at China Universal Television Network as they are with Russian media, saying, “I don’t think the French government is naïve in dealing with this case, but many French people are not aware of the risks and disinformation that China Universal Television Network could bring. Essentially this is contradictory, because we are very aware of the risks that exist with Russian state television (Russia Today RT). The absence of a public debate on the activities of Chinese influence limits the French awareness of the risks.”
He stressed that Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his speech at the National Propaganda and Thought Work Conference on August 19, 2013, pointed out that “we should carefully do a good job of foreign propaganda, innovate foreign propaganda methods, …… tell the Chinese story and spread the Chinese voice”. China Global Television Network then belongs to the big foreign propaganda arrangement.
Bodhaan also pointed out regarding the political attributes of CNN, “The increase of China’s influence in France is undeniable, and I don’t believe we can consider CNN as a traditional and ordinary TV channel and compare it with the BBC or the international news channel France 24 in the UK. CTVN is a communication tool of the Chinese regime and CTVN journalists, even if some of them are very good, serve the interests of the party rather than for the dissemination of unbiased and verified information.”
Channels that symbolize China’s soft power have sought legal loopholes in European regulators and through France to resume broadcasting in the UK, suggesting that China Universal Television Network will be able to continue broadcasting in Europe. But even with a pan-European agreement, it would not be difficult for the signatories to impose restrictions in other ways, said a consultant to the broadcasting sector. It is still unlikely that China Universal Television will be able to resume broadcasting in the UK.
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