The Chinese audiovisual regulatory authority announced Thursday, February 11, that it had banned the broadcast of BBC World News, arguing that the British television station had violated the principle according to which “The information must be truthful and fair” and ” born [doivent pas porter] prejudice to China’s national interests ”.
The BBC said “Disappointed” of the Chinese decision, while it “Is the international news channel [en continu] most reliable and reports in a balanced, impartial manner, without fear or favoritism ”. The British government has reacted strongly. Dominic Raab, the foreign minister, condemned a “Unacceptable attack on freedom of the press” : “China has one of the toughest media and internet restrictions in the world, and this move will only further damage its reputation in the eyes of the world. “
The international channel was without concession vis-à-vis the Chinese power. On February 2, a report thus revealed facts of rape and torture of Uighur women in internment camps in Xinjiang. The documentary “54 Days”, broadcast at the end of January, returned to the cover-ups of Chinese officials and scientists in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Limited effect
This ban comes after the revocation, on February 4, by Ofcom, the independent regulator of the British media, of the right to broadcast in the United Kingdom of the Chinese television station CGTN, on the grounds that it was not independent. And for good reason: since 2018 it was under the direct supervision of the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party, as evidenced by numerous official Chinese documents.
The concrete effect of China’s ban on the BBC is limited: ordinary Chinese households did not receive it, and it was only visible in international hotels. His site had already been blocked in China for several years. As well as the announcement, Friday February 12 by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) – funded by the Hong Kong government -, of the suspension of the broadcasting of the BBC channel in Hong Kong: it was already broadcast only on some night beaches since 2017.
An additional front between London and Beijing
The Chinese decision constitutes an additional front between London and Beijing, as the United Kingdom appears more and more in tune with the uncompromising policy of the United States towards China. In 2020, the British government passed a law by its Parliament banning the use of the equipment of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in its future 5G mobile networks, as of September 2021.
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