Photographer: Leon Neal / Getty Images
Photographer: Leon Neal / Getty Images
The UK regulator has withdrawn the state-backed Chinese television channel CGTN, a decision that will deepen tensions with Beijing.
The licensee of the China Global Television Network, a company called Star China Media Ltd., had no editorial control over UK shows, according to a survey published by the watchdog Ofcom on Thursday.
CGTN had requested the transfer of the license to an entity called China Global Television Network Corporation, but the request lacked “crucial information” and the new owner would be disqualified from holding a license because it would be controlled by a Communist Party-controlled body. Chinese, Ofcom said.
While the Chinese Foreign Ministry made no immediate comment on the decision, last year it accused the UK of obstructing the reporting of the Chinese press in the UK on Thursday, shortly before the Ofcom decision, but he complained about a recent BBC video report on the epidemic and apologized to the broadcaster.
The proposed new CGTNC licensee did not agree to be disqualified under UK law, according to its statements shared by Ofcom. A CGTN representative could not be contacted immediately, outside of the regular Beijing program.
“I gave CGTN significant time to comply with legal rules. These efforts have now been exhausted, “Ofcom said in a statement.
CGTN targeted several international audiences and hired dozens of employees for a London hub opened in 2018. The channel has reached 892,000 people in the last four weeks, totaling just 1 average daily viewing day, according to data from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board in the UK. However, the restrictions will not apply to CGTN’s digital distribution channels, such as its Facebook page, which has 114 million followers.
Tensions between the two countries have risen in the past year, partly as a result of the pandemic. After leaving the European Union, the United Kingdom sought to strengthen trade ties with China, but in recent months has found itself increasingly in conflict with Beijing.
Last year, the government of Boris Johnson banned the Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co. its next-generation wireless networks amid security concerns and a political backlash over how China has handled the pandemic.
After China imposed a new security law on Hong Kong, Britain offered residents of the region a way to become British citizens, a move that further inflamed relations with Beijing. The UK has also been open about human rights abuses in China and is trying to use its position to host this year’s Group of Seven summit to build an alliance of 10 major economies to promote democratic values.
The law stipulates that Ofcom prevents bodies whose objectives are primarily political from becoming or remaining TV licensees. Last year, Ofcom found that the CGTN had violated the rules of impartiality in covering protests in Hong Kong.
Peter Humphrey, a British corporate investigator, and two others have filed complaints about CGTN at Ofcom, claiming that the channel allegedly broadcast their forced confessions. In 2020 Ofcom found CGTN shares against Humphrey violated the rules of fairness and confidentiality and considered sanctions against CGTN, which could have included a ban. It is close to announcing verdicts for the other two cases.
“China is likely to respond harshly to this,” said Peter Dahlin, co-founder of Safeguard Defenders, an NGO that filed the initial complaint with Ofcom. “It cannot be stressed enough how important the CGTN is in the planned expansion of the Chinese Communist Party for soft power and influence in Europe, which has become increasingly important as relations with the United States deteriorate.”
– With the assistance of Lucille Liu and Colum Murphy
(Updates to add context everywhere.)