12th February 2021 – (Hong Kong) Due to a serious violation of Chinese regulations, China decided not to allow BBC World News Station to continue broadcasting in the country, and Radio Hong Kong (RTHK) also stopped broadcasting the program. However, the EU criticised RTHK for following China’s actions, which means that Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms have been eroded. Some lawmakers refuted the accusations of the European Union, saying that they should not point out the incident and point out that the BBC produced fake news to smear China. There is no reason to allow anti-Chinese media to continue to slander the country.
The EU issued a statement describing the ban on BBC World News as another step by China to restrict freedom of speech and information after China expelled a number of foreign journalists last year. It also pointed out that RTHK no longer broadcasts BBC channels and programs, indicating that the degree of autonomy in Hong Kong has eroded after the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, and the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people have been further compromised.
Regarding the criticism by the United States, the United Kingdom, and even the European Union against China for not allowing BBC World News to continue broadcasting within the country, Legislative Councillor Elizabeth Quat pointed out that “the facts are clearly stated” and that the BBC produced fake news to discredit China and “there are no reasons to allow anti-Chinese media to talk bad about China in the country. As a public broadcaster, RTHK must cooperate with the national policy to suspend broadcasting of BBC programs. The HK government cannot allow RTHK to spend one billion Hong Kong dollars in public funds per year to go against the government. RTHK should stop infiltrating anti-government voices in different programs, and the government must also conduct a comprehensive review and more rigorously monitor program production.
