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Image source,Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo
The British Communications Authority (Ofcom) revoked the license of the China International Television Station (CGTN) on Thursday (February 4), saying the licensed company had no control over the channel, in violation of regulations.
The British Communications Authority stated that the licensed Star China Media Limited has no editorial responsibility for CGTN.
In the UK, broadcasting laws require licensees to have control over their publishing services and policies.
CGTN responded on Friday (February 5), expressing regret and firm opposition to the final decision of the British Communications Authority. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on Friday that he strongly opposes the revocation of the CGTN license by the British Communications Authority. He also noted that the UK, on the one hand, advertises freedom of the press. but on the other hand, it ignores the facts and interferes with the expansion of the CGTN in the UK, it is a double standard and a political repression.
In recent months, China and Britain have been fighting over issues such as Beijing’s crackdown on activists in Hong Kong, Huawei and Muslims in Xinjiang. The Chinese authorities accused the BBC of conducting false reports on the new corona epidemic and the Xinjiang problem, which has once again raised concerns.
What did the British Communications Authority say?
The statement from the British Communications Authority stated that its investigation found that the licensee, Star China Media, has no editorial responsibility for CGTN and therefore does not meet legal requirements and is not a licensee of legal transmission.
In the UK, broadcasting law stipulates that the holder of a broadcasting license must have control over the licensed service, including editing and supervising the programs it transmits. Furthermore, the law also stipulates that political institutions cannot control licensees.
The British Communications Authority also stated that it could not approve Star China Media’s request to transfer its license to China Global Television Network Corporation, saying the app lacks key information and that the company is controlled by China Central Television. and the Communist Party of China.
The British Communications Authority stated that Star China Media is only a CGTN distributor in the UK, not a service provider.
The statement also noted that the British Communications Authority found that CNTN failed to maintain due impartiality in reporting on the Hong Kong protests and violated the British Communications Authority’s Broadcasting Rules. In view of the seriousness of the violation, the Communications Administration is considering sanctions and a decision is expected soon.
How CGTN responded
CGTN responded on Friday (February 5), expressing regret and firm opposition to the final ruling by the British Communications Authority.
The response stated that in early 2020, “under the control of some far-right organizations and anti-China forces”, the British Communications Authority suddenly launched an investigation into the CGTN English News Channel’s permission to land in the UK, and gave a detailed explanation to the British Communications Authority and proposed Advice on transfer of landing permit.
Image source,Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin
“However, the British Communications Authority ignored the professional reputation of the CGTN English News Channel in the international media and good broadcasting record in the UK for 18 years. It rejected and revoked the license based on the political nature of our organization of media. Resolution of permits, “said the statement.
The statement also emphasized that CGTN English News Channel is an international communication outlet with a good professional reputation worldwide, which since its launch in 2000 has carried out reports around the world based on the principles of objectivity, rationality and balance.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated at a regular press conference on Friday that China strongly opposes the revocation of the CGTN license by the British Communications Authority and alleges that the British side promotes freedom of the press regardless of the facts and interferes with the CGTN blockade. landing in the UK Communication is naked double standards and political repression.
Wang Wenbin stated that the British Communications Authority, based on ideological biases, used political reasons to suppress the spread of CGTN in the UK, politicizing technical issues, seriously damaging the reputation of the Chinese media, and seriously disrupting normal cultural exchanges between Both countries.
Wang Wenbin also claimed that China urges Britain to immediately stop political manipulation and correct its mistakes. China reserves the right to provide the necessary responses to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese media.
Commenting on the news on Chinese social media, many netizens believe that reciprocal sanctions should be imposed, and British TV stations should be turned away from broadcasting in China and British journalists should be expelled.
BBC reports dispute
Recently, the Chinese authorities have repeatedly accused the BBC of paying Xinjiang and the new corona epidemic. The BBC reported that Uighur women who had been detained reported to the BBC that they had suffered systematic sexual assault in Xinjiang “re-education camps”, prompting protests from the Chinese authorities.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin refuted the BBC report, accusing it of “unfounded discredit and slander.”
The first anniversary of the Wuhan shutdown: praise and denial coexist
Furthermore, the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday, stating that it has made solemn representations to the head of the company’s Beijing branch regarding the BBC’s report on the new corona epidemic.
The relevant person in charge of the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry claimed that the recent BBC news video relating to the new corona epidemic linked the epidemic to politics, repelled the “concealment theory”, the “theory of of the source “and” responsibility “. theory ”of the epidemic, and also used a video of the counterterrorism exercise as the Chinese national defense agency. The broadcast of “violent law enforcement and human rights violations” is typical ideologically-biased fake news and has a bad influence.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stated that its reporting on events in China was “accurate and fair” and would not accept unsubstantiated allegations of fake news or ideological biases.
