China, Hong Kong ban BBC World Service

Beijing’s latest tightening of media control is slammed by the UK as a reputation damaging restriction of press freedom.

Xi Jinping is clamping down on media. Picture: AFP.

China and Hong Kong have banned the BBC World Service from broadcasting in China, in the latest tightening of media control.

China’s regulator said in a statement: “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.’’

Hours laterm, Hong Kong followed Beijing in banning the broadcaster.

According to the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK)’s website , a spokesperson stated that the public broadcaster would no longer broadcast the BBC World Service as well as BBC Newsweek from 11 pm tonight (Friday) due to China’s decision.

The move was slammed by the British Foreign Secretary as a reputation damaging curtailing of media freedom.

Dominic Raab said: “China’s decision to ban BBC World News in mainland China is an unacceptable curtailing of media freedom. China has some of the most severe restrictions on media and internet freedoms across the globe, and this latest step will only damage China’s reputation in the eyes of the world.’’

The heightened tensions between China and the United Kingdom follows on from difficulties of Australian journalists being able to work on the Chinese mainland and ongoing sensitivities surrounding coverage of COVID-19, Huawei and the treatment of Uighurs.

Just this week Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who presented shows on CGTN, was formally charged with supplying state secrets after being held for six months. Last September Australian foreign correspondents based in China had been questioned about Ms Cheng and they flew home after a tense diplomatic standoff. There are currently no correspondents from Australian newspapers in mainland China.

China said it banned the BBC world service was because it had failed to be accurate and impartial on its China reports and had undermined China’s ethnic solidarity.

Over the past few days China had complained about BBC reporting on the pandemic, accusing the world service of fake news and ideological bias.

However the ban is a quick retaliation for Britain’s own moves against a Chinese national broadcaster.

Last week the British broadcast regulator Ofcom tore up the licence of CGTN, a Chinese state channel, banning it from the British airwaves because it was controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

But CGTN said Ofcom was being politically manipulated by extreme right wing organisations and anti-China forces and the decision was the result of political oppression, double standards and hypocrisy.

Even before the latest ban, BBC or other foreign language news channels were only accessible from international hotels. It was never accessible to ordinary Chinese households.

BBC English and Chinese news websites have been banned in China since 2014. Chinese people who want to access their online content have to go through VPN.