Caroline Wilson, UK ambassador to China. Photo: VCG
The Department of European Affairs of China's Foreign Ministry (FM) on Tuesday summoned Caroline Wilson, the British Ambassador to China, about her publication criticizing the "worsening of news environment in China". It said Wilson's article was biased and filled with arrogance, and such action doesn't fit her image as diplomat.
A representative from the FM said that, as an ambassador to China, Wilson voiced grievances for some western media outlets, which have been sanctioned due to falsified reports, mixed over the notion of media denigration and supervision.
It said Wilson turned a blind eye to some countries' crackdown on Chinese media.
Wilson was summoned after she wrote an article posted on the WeChat account of the British Embassy to China on March 2, saying that China has "bias" against foreign media.
The FM also said the article was laden with arrogance, ideological bias, mixes right and wrong, and is double-standard. Such deeds do not fit Wilson's image as diplomat, it said, noting that after publication, the article sparked outrage among Chinese public, and is widely criticized.
Wilson later said on her Twitter account that she stands by her article. Yet, she made no comments on her Sina Weibo, the Chinese Twitter-like platform.
In recent years, the biased news about the 2019 Hong Kong turmoil, the fake news about Xinjiang produced by the BBC, or the stigmatization of China's measures to prevent and control COVID-19, have increasingly disappointed most Chinese who also rebuke the behavior of some Western journalists in China. Western media's credibility in China is continually declining and proved to be untrustworthy or unqualified to report in the country.
Chinese netizens also mocked British media such as the BBC. A video called "how to be a good BBC reporter", that mocks the tricks used to distort news through shooting and post-production techniques, went viral on Chinese social media and won high reviews among Chinese netizens in early February.
The FM representative said that the Chinese government and people are against those media, who used freedom of expression as a cover, to fabricate fake news or maliciously attack China. It asked Wilson to do serious reflection, rectify her image and commit to promote the development of good bilateral ties.