StarTimes Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Criticism and controversy== {{See also|Debt-trap diplomacy}} On 8 October 2018, British newspaper ''[[Financial Times]]'' reported increase in Zambia's monthly [[Television licence|television levy]] that funds the country's state broadcaster [[Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation]] (ZNBC), allegedly a result of a joint venture between StarTimes and ZNBC, which established a joint venture named TopStar, of which StarTimes owns 60%, to operate multi-channel television services in the country, and was backed by the [[Export–Import Bank of China]]. ZNBC borrowed {{USD|273 million}} from this bank, but it is rumored it could not repay the debt and it was alleged that the broadcaster increased the monthly levy to clear its debt.<ref name="FT-Zambia-181008">{{cite news |last1=Cotterill |first1=Joseph |last2=Pilling |first2=David |last3=Zhang |first3=Archie |title=TV tax stirs Zambian fears over Chinese 'debt-trap' diplomacy |url=https://www.ft.com/content/fa54acda-c7ef-11e8-ba8f-ee390057b8c9 |access-date=21 November 2018 |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=8 October 2018}}</ref> The ''Financial Times'' has also reported about other practices related to China's [[debt-trap diplomacy]] and the [[Embassy of China, London|Chinese Embassy in the UK]] have since issued counterclaims.<ref name="ChineseEmbassyUK-response-181018">{{cite press release|title=Embassy Spokesperson's letter to Financial Times on its unjustified comments of "debt-trap" diplomacy |url=https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/ceuk/eng/PressandMedia/t1605128.htm |access-date=21 November 2018 |publisher=[[Embassy of China, London|Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]] |date=18 October 2018 |location=London}}</ref> Multiple outlets have also claimed that StarTimes is [[Propaganda in China#External propaganda|promoting news content that favours the Chinese government]] by placing [[China Global Television Network]] channels on the platform's most cheapest package, while other international news channels, such as [[BBC News (international TV channel)|BBC World News]], cost even more.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jenni |last=Marsh |title=How China is slowly expanding its power in Africa, one TV set at a time |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/23/business/startimes-china-africa-kenya-intl/index.html |access-date=2 November 2020 |work=CNN Business |date=2019-07-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Louisa |last1=Lim |first2=Julia |last2=Bergin|title=Inside China's audacious global propaganda campaign |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/dec/07/china-plan-for-global-media-dominance-propaganda-xi-jinping |access-date=2 November 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=7 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jonathan |last=Kaiman |title='China has conquered Kenya': Inside Beijing's new strategy to win African hearts and minds |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-china-africa-kenya-20170807-htmlstory.html |access-date=2 November 2020 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=7 August 2017}}</ref> On many of its in-house channels, regardless of genre, the platform airs programming about the [[Chinese Communist Party]] and its activities in China, offering prizes to entrants who answer questions about China and its history.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Olander|first=Eric|date=13 October 2021|title=Chinese-Owned African Pay-TV Giant StarTimes Launches New Propaganda Show|url=https://chinaafricaproject.com/2021/10/13/chinese-owned-african-pay-tv-giant-startimes-launches-new-propaganda-show/|access-date=2021-11-16|website=The China Africa Project|language=en-US}}</ref> Nigerian research published in 2024 shows the "Access to satellite TV for 10,000 African villages" project that StarTimes initiated does not have the impact it promotes, while most of the equipments in Nigeria went idled due to unable to pay subscription fees after the one-year trial and lack of electricity.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Emeka |last1=Umejei |title=Chinese Digital Satellite TV: Exporting Propaganda to Rural Nigeria |url=https://www.cddwestafrica.org/reports/chinese-digital-satellite-tv-exporting-propaganda-to-rural-nigeria/ |accessdate=25 February 2024 |work=Centre for Democracy and Development |date=31 January 2024}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page