China Accuses U.K. of ‘Political Oppression’ After CGTN Pulled

China said it “firmly opposes” a decision by the U.K.’s media regulator to revoke a state-run television channel’s license to broadcast, accusing the British government of “blatant double standards and political oppression” amid rising tensions between the two countries.

“We urge the U.K. to immediately stop political maneuvers and correct its mistakes,” China Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily briefing on Friday. Ofcom “oppresses the coverage of CGTN in the U.K., politicizes technical matters and severely damages the Chinese media’s reputation,” he said, referring to the China Global Television Network.