BBC World News barred in mainland China, radio dropped by HK public broadcaster

BBC World News barred in mainland China, radio dropped by HK public broadcaster

BEIJING (Reuters) - China barred Britain's BBC World News from its television networks on Friday and Hong Kong's public broadcaster said it would stop relaying BBC World Service radio, a week after Britain revoked Chinese state television's broadcast license.

China's National Radio and Television Administration said BBC World News' reports on China had "seriously violated“ a requirement to be "truthful and fair“, harmed China's interests and undermined national unity.

Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), the publicly funded broadcaster in the former British territory, said it was suspending the relay of BBC radio news programming.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) said it appeared that China was trying to force foreign media to follow the Chinese party line.

RTHK's Radio 4 (R4) station had carried BBC World Service radio for eight hours each night and the R1 station had carried a one-hour BBC programme once a week.

The private Hong Kong platforms Cable TV and Now TV were still carrying BBC World News as of Friday.

Before the ban, BBC World News had not been included in most TV packages in mainland China, but had been available in some hotels and homes.

Two Reuters journalists in Beijing found that the channel had disappeared.

The BBC, which is a