Why is BBC promoting Chinese f irm in spy row?

THE BBC is under fire after one of its commercial divisions produced promotional material for Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

Journalists at the corporation have reacted with anger after it emerged the ‘content-marketing division’ of its global news arm was working with the company.

Huawei is controversial because of its alleged links to the Chinese government, and there is huge debate about whether it should be allowed to contribute to the UK’s 5G internet infrastructure amid espionage fears.

BBC StoryWorks, a division of BBC Global News, produced video content and a website for the firm, which initially advertised the fact on social media.

The video tells the ‘inside story’ of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei’s ‘30year journey’, and ‘the company’s transformation into a global tech leader’. It was promoted on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook this week.

People are encouraged to visit the WhoIsHuawei.com site, which redirects to a BBC.com address. But UK users are told the site is not accessible from Britain.

The Huawei content on BBC.com states it is ‘paid and presented by Huawei’. But the venture has sparked deep unease among BBC journalists who regularly report on concerns about Huawei and the actions of the Chinese government, most recently in Hong Kong.

They fear the corporation’s commercial activities are putting its reputation for impartiality at risk.

Former BBC war correspondent Martin Bell told the Daily Mail: ‘Every BBC bone in my body says they shouldn’t be doing this. It is completely against the BBC’s traditions.’ Referring to tensions in Hong Kong, he said: ‘Especially now it is a daft thing to do. They should withdraw from whatever partnership they have.’

One senior reporter told website Buzzfeed News: ‘It’s pretty shocking and embarrassing... We think this undermines genuine reporting on Huawei.’ Another told the website: ‘I nearly threw up.’

A spokeswoman said last night: ‘The BBC maintains clear separation between its commercial and editorial departments, and BBC News continues to report rigorously, impartially and without fear or favour on all issues.’

Huawei, which employs 1,600 people in the UK, said: ‘We are proud of our work helping to build a better connected UK.’