LONDON (AP) – UK regulators withdrew their national broadcasting license from China’s state TV channel on Thursday after an investigation cited a lack of editorial control and links to the Communist Party of China.
Communications watchdog Ofcom said it had revoked the UK license for China Global Television Network, or CGTN, an international satellite news channel in English.
CGTN was available on free and pay TV in the UK. She did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Regulators began examining the station after receiving a complaint from a human rights group, Safeguard Defenders, calling for an investigation into its property.
Ofcom also continues to investigate a number of other complaints that it violated the rules of justice and precision. One was from a former British Consulate official in Hong Kong, who said he was arrested and tortured by Chinese police to obtain information about the protesters. Another was by a British corporate investigator who said he was forced to confess while in prison in China. CGTN did not respond to requests for comment on those claims at the time, and Ofcom said its decisions are still pending.
The decision contributes to the erosion of ties between Britain and China, already strained by the UK’s efforts to deal with alleged human rights violations against the Uighur minority in Xinjiang and expand residence rights for Hong Kong residents.
China’s Foreign Ministry responded with renewed criticism to British Broadcasting Corp., specifically a January 29 report on COVID-19 in China, calling it “typical fake news” and demanding a public apology. He said that “China reserves the right to take further measures”. The BBC said kept his account and rejected the “unfounded accusations”.
The UK watchdog said it discovered that the station’s license holder, Star China Media Limited, had no editorial responsibility for the production of CGTN, which is a licensing requirement. Star China was merely the channel distributor and none of the employees involved in day-to-day operations or decision-making were its employees.
A request to transfer the license to China Global Television Network Corporation as part of a planned restructuring was rejected because “crucial information” was missing, Ofcom said. But it also failed “because we believe that the CGTNC would be disqualified from holding a license, as it is controlled by an organ that is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,” he said.
The watchdog said it gave CGTN “significant time” to comply, but those efforts “have now been exhausted”.
“After careful analysis, taking into account all the facts and the rights of the broadcaster and the public to freedom of expression, we decided that it is appropriate to revoke the CGTN license to broadcast in the United Kingdom,” said Ofcom.
In a separate case, Ofcom said it hopes to decide soon on sanctions for CGTN for violating the impartiality rules in covering pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
The loss of its British broadcasting license is a major setback for CGTN, which has been a key element in the Chinese government’s effort to expand its soft power and polish its image abroad. The channel had established a European operations center in West London and made a wave of hiring journalists to work on it.
CGTN can appeal the decision requesting a judicial review. He can also try to get the license back by resubmitting his application with proof that he is editorially independent, Ofcom said.
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