Staff members disinfect the Shijiazhuang Railway Station West Square in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei province, Jan. 31, 2021. Local authorities have conducted disinfection work on key public areas such as Shijiazhuang Railway Station to prepare for the work resumption. (Photo by Liang Zidong/Xinhua)

The information department of Chinese Foreign Ministry made solemn representation to the BBC’s Beijing office over a fake news report relating to the COVID-19 epidemic that was broadcast on Monday, the ministry said on Thursday. 

The BBC broadcast a video that politicized the epidemic, repeatedly made claims criticizing China for covering up the epidemic, and hyped the virus originated in China. The BBC’s report also included a video which was claimed to show epidemic control authorities violently enforcing the law and violating human rights, but it turned out to be a video clip of an anti-terrorism drill. The report was done with a biased ideology and has led to severe consequences, a spokesperson for the Department of Information of the ministry said. 

The British broadcaster has recently come under spotlight after a Chinese blogger showed how the BBC distorts its news reporting with oblique shooting and editing tricks. Since the beginning of COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, some foreign media have continuously used subjective editing to discredit China's anti-epidemic efforts and achievements.

The Foreign Ministry official also urged the BBC Beijing office to take the Chinese position seriously and take effective measures to eliminate the serious impact of its fake reporting and apologize to China. 

It should also drop its ideological bias, stop smearing and attacking China and strictly follow professional ethics and create objective, balanced and impartial China-related stories, said the FM official.