BEIJING: China barred Britain鈥檚 BBC World News from airing on Friday and Hong Kong鈥檚 public broadcaster said it was dropping the channel, a week after Britain鈥檚 media regulator revoked Chinese state television鈥檚 UK broadcast license.
China鈥檚 National Radio and Television Administration said an investigation found BBC World News鈥� China-related reports had 鈥渟eriously violated鈥� regulations, including that news should be 鈥渢ruthful and fair,鈥� had harmed China鈥檚 interests and undermined national unity.
The channel, therefore, did not meet requirements for foreign channels broadcasting in China and its application to air for another year would not be accepted, it said.
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), the publicly funded broadcaster in the former British territory, said separately on Friday it was suspending the relay of BBC news programming from Friday, following Beijing鈥檚 decision.
English-language BBC World News is not included in most TV channel packages in mainland China, but is available in some hotels and homes.
Two Reuters journalists in Beijing said the channel had gone blank on their screens.
British foreign minister, Dominic Raab, and the US State Department condemned China鈥檚 decision.
鈥淐hina鈥檚 decision to ban BBC World News in mainland China is an unacceptable curtailing of media freedom,鈥� Raab said.
鈥淐hina has some of the most severe restrictions on media and Internet freedoms across the globe, and this latest step will only damage China鈥檚 reputation in the eyes of the world.鈥�
RTHK鈥檚 decision to shun the BBC鈥檚 news output is further evidence that Beijing鈥檚 tightening grip on Hong Kong extends to media.
Last year, when Beijing expelled about a dozen journalists working for US news outlets, it also barred them from relocating to Hong Kong.
RTHK, founded in 1928 and sometimes compared with the BBC, is the only independent, publicly funded media outlet on Chinese soil and is guaranteed editorial independence by its charter.
It angered the Hong Kong government and Beijing over its coverage of anti-government protests that roiled the city in 2019. RTHK鈥檚 cancelation of the weekly 鈥淗eadliner鈥� show last year fueled concern among some in Hong Kong that it was coming under greater government pressure.
Hong Kong pay TV platforms Cable TV and Now TV also carry BBC World News.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price condemned China鈥檚 action.
鈥淚t鈥檚 troubling that as (China) restricts outlets and platforms from operating freely in China, Beijing鈥檚 leaders use free and open media environments overseas to promote misinformation,鈥� Price said during a regular news briefing on Thursday.
This month, the State Department said it was 鈥渄eeply disturbed鈥� by reports carried by the BBC of systematic rape and sexual abuse against women in internment camps for ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims in China鈥檚 Xinjiang region.
China denies accusations of abuses in Xinjiang and said the BBC report was 鈥渨holly without factual basis.鈥�
The BBC said it was disappointed by the decision of the Chinese authorities to bar BBC World News from broadcasting.
鈥淭he BBC is the world鈥檚 most trusted international news broadcaster and reports on stories from around the world fairly, impartially and without fear or favor,鈥� the BBC said.
On Feb. 4, British media regulator Ofcom revoked China Global Television Network鈥檚 license to broadcast in Britain after an investigation found the license was wrongfully held by Star China Media Ltd.
China criticized the ruling as politicized and warned it reserved the right to make a 鈥渘ecessary response.鈥�