China Reserves Right to Respond to UK Revoking CGTN License, Beijing Warns

British broadcasting and telecommunications regulator Ofcom revoked the license of China's English-language news network CGTN on Thursday, citing its "state-backed ownership structure" that violates UK rules.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has criticised London's decision, saying that China firmly opposes the revoking of CGTN's license in Britain. Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged the UK to correct this mistake immediately and warned that Beijing reserved the right to respond in kind.

According to Ofcom, Star China Media Limited did not have "editorial responsibility" for the channel's output, and therefore "does not meet the legal requirement of having control over the licensed service", acting as a distributor, rather than a provider.

View London. (File)

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It means immediate removal of the channel from UK airwaves. CGTN slammed the decision, saying the regulator was "manipulated by extreme right-wing organisations and anti-China forces".

Following the Ofcom statement, Beijing slammed the BBC, accusing it of spreading fake news about the coronavirus crisis. China accused the BBC of "linking the pandemic to politics" and "rehashing theories about covering up" the initial outbreak of the disease.