Britain and China, which are struggling over Hong Kong democracy protests and security laws, are now in a’broadcast war’.
According to major foreign media such as AP and Reuters, on the 12th (local time), Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK (Radio TV Hong Kong) announced that it would completely ban the broadcasting of’BBC World News’ and’BBC Newsweekly’ by the British public broadcasters BBC.
This is a follow-up to the Chinese government’s halt to airing the BBC on the mainland. Previously, the National Newspaper Publishing and Photoelectric Bureau, a Chinese broadcasting regulatory agency, decided to ban BBC World News from airing in China.
The BBC reported that the Chinese government concealed the Corona 19 pandemic, and reported allegations of repression, including sexual violence against Xinjiang Uighur Muslims and exploitation of labor. In China, the BBC has been aired in luxury hotels, businesses, and foreign residence complexes.
China made a statement and said, “BBC World’s China-related reports seriously violate the broadcasting regulations that should be truthful and fair and infringe on China’s national interests,” and said, “In addition, we will not accept applications for a broadcasting license for the next one year.”
However, this is interpreted as a retaliatory measure for the British broadcast sanctions on Chinese broadcasting. On the 4th, the UK revoked the broadcasting license for China International Television (CGTN), which has its European headquarters in London.
‘Ofcom’, a UK broadcasting regulator, revealed the background of canceling the license, claiming that CGTN was operated under the control of the Chinese Communist Party without independent editing rights, violating British domestic laws. CGTN is a subsidiary of China’s state-run Central Broadcasting (CCTV), which transmits Chinese broadcasts in foreign languages to more than 100 countries around the world.
Accordingly, the German subsidiary of Vodafone, a British telecommunications company, decided to stop broadcasting CGTN on its cable service from this day.
The US side with the UK… Will the’media war’ break out?
The BBC made a statement about China’s halting airing, saying it was “a very disappointing decision,” and “The BBC is the world’s most trusted international news broadcaster, and it reports fairly without any fear or favor.”
British Foreign Minister Dominic Rab said, “It is unacceptable that China has undermined the freedom of the press. China is imposing the most severe sanctions on media and internet freedom in the world, and the interruption of broadcasting on the BBC will undermine China’s international reputation. Only,” he criticized.
After the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration, the United States, which is setting a further day with China, also helped. State Department spokesman Ned Price said, “I strongly condemn China to stop broadcasting the BBC,” he said. “China is the world’s most controlled, repressive, and free-to-use information space.”
However, the Chinese embassy in the UK refuted, saying, “It is a legitimate and reasonable decision to stop broadcasting the BBC.”