China lashes out at BBC over 'fake news' about coronavirus
China has denounced the BBC for reporting “fake news” about Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, demanding an apology from the British broadcaster for politicizing the health issue.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the British Broadcasting Corp. had politicized the pandemic and “rehashed theories about covering up by China.”
The BBC’s Beijing office aired a video claiming it showed Chinese law enforcement authorities “violently” enforcing coronavirus restrictions, but it turned out to be a video clip of an anti-terrorism drill in the country.
Wang urged the BBC to apologize over the report, saying that China reserves the right to take further measures.
The BBC, however, defended its reports as “accurate and fair.”
Britain and China have engaged in a diplomatic dispute over several issues, including Hong Kong.
The British government said it was fulfilling a historic and moral commitment to the people of Hong Kong, after accusing China of breaching the terms of a 1997 handover by introducing security laws that London claims are being used to silence dissent.
China, however, says the law is necessary to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, following anti-government protests that escalated last year and plunged the city into its biggest crisis in decades.
Hong Kong has been governed under the “one-country, two-system” model since the city — a former British colony — was returned to China in 1997.
Ofcom revokes license of Chinese news channel
In a latest development on Thursday, Britain’s media watchdog Ofcom revoked the license of China Global Television Network (CGTN) to broadcast in the United Kingdom.
Ofcom said Star China Media Limited (SCML) — the company that owns the UK licence for CGTN — does not have day-to-day control over the English-language satellite news channel.
“As such, SCML does not meet the legal requirement of having control over the licensed service, and so is not a lawful broadcast licensee,” said the ruling.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the ruling was “based on ideological prejudice and political reasons.”
"China urges the UK to immediately cease political manipulation and correct its mistakes," spokesman Wang Wenbin said, adding that Beijing "reserves the right to make the necessary responses.”
He said the news channel had played a role in "enhancing understanding and communication" between the two countries.
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