BBC Says China Has Blocked English-Language Radio Service

LONDON - The BBC said Monday that English-language radio broadcasts by its World Service have been "jammed," or blocked, in China and suggested that the country was to blame.

our editor recommends

BBC Radio Show Blunder Adds to Woes at Company's News Division

BBC to Choose Between Funding World Service or Subsidize License Fees for over 75s

STORY: Brad Pitt's Account Mysteriously Disappears from China’s Version of Twitter

"The BBC strongly condemns this action, which is designed to disrupt audiences' free access to news and information," the BBC said. It didn't detail when the jamming started or whether it was continuing.

STORY: China Tightens Reins on Internet to Block Anonymous Comments

The blocking of the radio service follows the recent jamming of the BBC's Persian-language service in Iran. Also, last week, a BBC TV news crew was detained in China and its footage confiscated while the team looked into a cyber-espionage group in the country, according to the BBC.

"The deliberate and coordinated efforts by authorities in countries such as China and Iran illustrate the significance and importance of the role the BBC undertakes to provide impartial and accurate information to audiences around the world," said BBC director of global news Peter Horrocks.

Chinese officials didn't immediately comment on the suggestion that the country was interfering with the BBC World Service.

The World Service has a worldwide weekly audience of 239 million listeners.

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai

Clarence Tsui in Hong Kong contributed to this report.