TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's regulators on Wednesday (Nov. 18) unanimously rejected the license renewal for pro-China Chung T'ien Television's (中天電視) news channel CTi News (中天新聞).

On Wednesday, National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) announced at a press conference that all seven commissioners voted to deny CTi News' request to renew its six-year broadcast license, which expires on Dec. 11. CTi News is part of the Want Want China Times Group, which has repeatedly come into conflict with the authorities due to its pro-China stance, having been fined for 21 violations over the past six years that range from spreading disinformation to biased reporting.

Chen stated that after a full discussion and evaluation by the commissioners, the license renewal was rejected because of the TV station's serious record of violations and failure to implement an internal control mechanism. He stated that the evidence was very clear, with the number of complaints from the public rising sharply since 2017 and over 30 percent related to reports from CTi News.

Two of the commissioners, Lin Lihyun (林麗雲) and Wang Wei-ching (王維菁), professors in journalism and mass communications, respectively, emphasized that CTi News' "self-discipline problem was very serious" and that the TV station had not made the requested corrections after repeated offenses, reported UDN. They asserted that the NCC should exercise its powers independently and not be affected by political forces.