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LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - Britain’s media regulator on Thursday revoked a Chinese TV licence after it concluded that the Chinese Communist Party had ultimate editorial responsibility for the channel while Beijing lodged an official complaint over the BBC’s COVID-19 coverage.
Britain and China have been exchanging barbs for months over Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, concerns over the security of Huawei technology and the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China’s remote Xinjiang region.
After an investigation, the British regulator Ofcom concluded that China Global Television Network’s (CGTN), an English language international Chinese channel, was ultimately controlled by the Communist Party.
British broadcasting watchdog Ofcom launched a probe into the China Global Television Network last July.
It followed concern over biased coverage of Hong Kong pro-democracy protests and show trial news reports of a corruption case against Briton Peter Humphrey in China.
Ofcom has now revoked its licence, under laws which state that any licensee must have editorial control of the programmes shown and must not be controlled by political bodies.
Former Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith today told MailOnline that the Ofcom decision is a huge move and long overdue.
He added: The problem is too many people in the UK who were in positions of power have gone along with it for too long.
The UK s communications regulator Ofcom has revoked the licence of China Global Television Network (CGTN) to be able to broadcast in Britain amid concerns of political control.
The move comes following an investigation by the regulatory body into the licence holder, Star China Media Ltd, which concluded it didn t exercise editorial control over the English language arm of the Chinese state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV).
As such, the company did not meet the legal requirement to hold a licence, Ofcom said.
In addition, efforts to transfer the licence to CCTV were also restricted by the UK regulator. The Chinese media outlet is disqualified from holding a licence because of its affiliation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).