BBC I-T survey: Chinese media extends support to India, says UK channel a 'propaganda machine for West'

A week after the Indian Income Tax department carried out survey operations at BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai office, the Chinese Communist Party's tabloid has taken a dig at UK's broadcasting company BBC and called it a 'propaganda machine' for the West.  

In its latest opinion-editorial article, Song Luzheng, a research fellow at Fudan University in the Global Times newspaper, said that the the UK-based channel is a typical Western media outlet, which claims to be objective, though whatever it reports are not facts.  

"The BBC, as a typical Western media outlet, claims to be objective and fact-based. Nonetheless, it's not reporting facts but doing opinion journalism… it is a propaganda machine that serves Western imperialism,” said Luzheng in his article in Global Times newspaper. 

The Global Times article further added that though British politicians defend the media outlet, it is basically a propaganda machine, which is infamous in other countries. "British politicians defend the BBC as a national treasure, they ignore the fact that this propaganda machine has long been infamous in other countries,” the article said. 

“The West adopts its own set of values and standards -- it only agrees with what fits their standards and bans whatever doesn't fit the standards,” the article further said. 

“The international status of a country's media is determined by the strength of the country and its adherence to media ethics. The BBC has lost the latter, and the UK is losing the former,” it added. 

India’s Income-Tax department surveyed the Delhi and Mumbai offices of BBC last week over issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies. The mobile phones and laptops of employees were scanned during the survey that lasted three days. 

The tax authorities have alleged various tax-linked irregularities against the London-headquartered company and accused it of using "dilatory tactics" during the course of the survey. 

The Income-Tax department also said the income and profits shown by various BBC group entities are "not commensurate" with the scale of their operations in India and tax has not been paid on certain remittances by its foreign entities. 

On Wednesday, the UK government strongly defended BBC and said the broadcaster's editorial freedom is vitally important.  

“We stand up for the BBC, we fund the BBC, we think the BBC World Service is vitally important. We want the BBC to have that editorial freedom,” Tory MP David Rutley said. 

"That freedom is key, and we want to be able to communicate its importance to our friends across the world, including the government in India," he said, responding to questions on the raid and freedom of expression in India.  

Rutley also said the UK and India had a “broad and deep relationship” and this particular issue had been raised with the government. 

Jim Shannon, of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), had kicked off the debate by saying the "raid" was "a deliberate act of intimidation following the release of an unflattering documentary about the country’s leader". 

Adding to this, Labour MP Fabian Hamilton expressed concern that the BBC staff was forced to stay in their offices overnight and have faced lengthy questioning. "In any democracy, the media must have the ability to criticise and scrutinise political leaders without fear of repercussions, and that clearly applies in this situation,” he added. 

Britain's Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, was one among those who raised questions on the Income-Tax survey on BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai.