MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th February, 2021) China's decision to ban the airing of the UK-based BBC World news broadcaster is "unacceptable," UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Thursday.
Several hours earlier, China's National Radio and Television Administration announced that BBC World News would be banned from air for at least one year. The regulator cited concerns over the UK broadcaster's impartiality and violations of regulations governing foreign media outlets.
"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, & this latest step will only damage China's reputation in the eyes of the world," Raab wrote in a Twitter post.
One week ago, UK regulators revoked the license of China's state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN) broadcaster. In a statement, Ofcom said the company that owns CGTN's UK license does not have day-to-day editorial control over what the broadcaster airs.
