China National Radio replaces HK's 24-hour BBC World Service

Hong Kong

HONG KONG'S public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) dropped a 24-hour BBC World Service channel from its airwaves on Monday, replacing it with state radio from China in what critics say is a sign of encroaching Chinese control in the former British colony.

Tensions between Hong Kong and Beijing's ruling Communist Party leaders have grown in recent years, particularly over the "Occupy" civil disobedience movement in 2014 where tens of thousands of protesters blocked roads for 79 days demanding full democracy.