China has banned BBC World News from airing in the country, a week after Ofcom stripped Chinese state broadcaster CGTN of its British broadcast licence.
In a statement issued on the stroke of Lunar New Year, the National Radio and Television Administration said BBC World News’ reporting on China had “seriously violated" regulations, including that news should be "truthful and fair.
The administration also claimed that the broadcaster had harmed China's national interests and undermined national unity, Reuters reported.
The channel therefore does not meet requirements for foreign channels broadcasting in China and its application to air for another year will not be accepted, it added.
English-language BBC World News is not included in most TV channel packages in China but is available in some hotels and residences.
Two Reuters journalists in China said the channel had gone blank on their screens.
The BBC did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
In a statement the UK Foreign Secretary 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 & internet freedoms across the globe and this latest step will only damage China’s reputation in the eyes of the world.”
It comes a week after China’s state-owned broadcaster, CGTN, had its licence to broadcast in the UK revoked after missing “numerous” opportunities to comply with regulations.
An investigation launched by Ofcom last year found that CGTN's licensee, Star China Media Limited, did not have control of the programmes shown.
An application to transfer the licence to an entity called China Global Television Network Corporation (CGTNC) was denied.
This was because “crucial information was missing from the application, and because we consider that CGTNC would be disqualified from holding a licence, as it is controlled by a body which is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,” Ofcom said.
Ofcom is due to reach a decision about sanctions for the breach soon.
Reporting by Reuters
